Sun Queens

7/06/2017 12:18:00 pm 0 Comments

We carried out another bee inspection in the heat today. It was 27 degrees, so we took precautions and kept hydrated.

The bees seemed happy enough though. The first WBC, in which we had found eggs and brood last week, is still doing well. There were lots more eggs visible which indicates that the queen is healthy and laying, although she’s proving very elusive and I was still unable to spot her. However, I'm confident that she is in there somewhere and there were no signs of swarming activity. Hopefully I’ll be able to pick her out at the next inspection.


Last time I checked it the second WBC hive was very quiet with no brood or eggs present. Since then Chris kindly visited the farm by himself and introduced a frame of brood, including some partially developed queen cells. I've left this hive alone for now, as the brood needs to have some peace and quiet in order to hatch another queen.

I did check our national hive though, and all is still well. The queen was visible and were lots of eggs and brood, again with no swarm behaviour apparent.


Overall the honey flow does not seem very significant at the moment, but this is likely to be due to the dry period of weather we have been experiencing in recent weeks. Bees are busy on sunny days, collecting pollen, but rain is also crucial. Unfortunately low rainfall results in low nectar production. So while we love the hot and sunny weather we’re hoping for a few rainy days!

Anonymous

Graphic Designer at Cotswold Seeds Google

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