Welcome to Farnham Beekeepers
A Division of the Surrey Beekeepers' Association
In the Apiary
It has very reasonably been pointed out to me that, with two magazines both writing advice for new beekeepers (and for the rest of us as well) this bit is not necessary BUT to be absolutely up to date, and with this appalling weather, I feel beekeeping is incredibly difficult – the worst I have known.
If you don’t feed your bees, they are likely to starve and, in my book, that is one of the worst sins out. However, with this feeding can come further problems – overcrowding and swarming! The sequence seems to be – lack of food, bees hungry, feed a weak syrup to both encourage comb drawing and to keep them going, which stimulates the bees to feed the queen to encourage her to lay, more bees, so they become crowded and need more food. You add a super, but the bees don’t like it up there because there is no spare food in the combs to keep them warm, so they all stay down below, becoming crowded, so…. Swarm time! This is quite apart from those who have a natural swarming tendency!
It is almost impossible to get into our bees with this weather, so I am seizing any moment that offers to check for enough food and queen cells. Some bees have switched the queen off in this cold spell, so don’t panic if you don’t see eggs. Apart from a small amount of OSR honey, most of us have hungry bees rather than even contemplating a honey crop! I can see a shortage this year, although hopefully this rain will indeed “bring forth May flowers” even if a bit late!
Swarm Equipment
Please believe me when I say that it is essential to have plenty of equipment ready for collecting swarms because, at some stage, your bees will indicate they are going to do this. All those who have been on Alastair’s course will have the info and diagrams to do an artificial swarm - is the necessary equipment made up ready? Also, especially if you are fairly new to this hobby/craft, you may miss queen cells when you are removing them and get a cast - have you spare frames made up ready - and a nuc box or something else to hand?? It is no good leaving it until you actually need it, do get it ready beforehand. What ever you do NEVER TAKE OUT ALL THE QUEEN CELLS until you have seen eggs - to do so may well render your colony beyond hope! If you find queen cells, stand back and think what you need to do. By collecting your swarms you may end up with more bees than you want, but as soon as the queens are mated, you can unite them back together again for a strong colony later on.
Forage
The weather now is so different to the way it was this time last year and I'm sorry to say the forage available for our bees is 'retarded' to say the least thanks to the cool temperatures, wind and rain that have been coming our way during the last week or two. When the sun does venture out it feels so beautifully warm so let's hope during May the skies clear during the daytime, the rain stops for a bit and the temperatures elevate!
The wisteria sinensis on our house is only just beginning to come into bloom (it was well away this time last year) and when the sun comes out the bees love it, the rosemary bushes in the herb garden are also humming. In our orchards pears, apples, cherries and plums are blossoming away as they will be in the local commercial orchards and the soft fruit such as strawberries, raspberries and currants etc. in our fruit cages are managing to bloom in spite of the rain. Prunus padur (bird cherry), crab apple John Downie, Malus spectabilis and Crataegus monogyna (hawthorn) and possibly Crataegus oxyacanthoides (Midland hawthorn) will be joining them, some garden heathers and tree heathers will still be flowereing as well. Pyracanthas (firethorns), berberis, sycamore, some of the earlier cotoneasters, ceanothus, acers, horsechestnuts, hollies, single roses such as Canarybird, the dear old broad bean and of course oilseed rape will be going well too.
Watch Out! Thieves about!
Beekeeping equipment has been stolen from a secure garden in Alton. The message from thepolice is that it was probably the stainless steel extractor that attracted the thief. Alternatively that solar wax extractor may now be for sale on e-bay! (from Petersfield Newsletter)
Local Weather
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