Predictions for the week

[gavin]

Is this the week it all kicks off? The bees have had sunny weather to build up although here in the east the cool breeze slowed things a little. Everything is in flower but it has been too dry for many of the usual sources to do well. Now we have rape still in flower, sycamore, the hawthorn is out, everything is nicely damp, it is going to be humid, warm and with sunny spells at least well into the next week. So ... supers filling rapidly, swarm aplenty?

[Jimbo]

Swarming has started in the West on some of the strong colonies, although the majority of my native stocks are still building up. It is now raining here for the next few days so will slow things down a bit My prediction that my swarm control will start about the week beginning 22/23 May is still on track

[gavin]

There are colonies with Q cells in and to the east of Dundee (have been for about a fortnight), so probably in many other places too. My usual time here is the third week in May, but I reckon that we're about a fortnight ahead of normal. I'm half expecting to find Q cells in mine tomorrow, but we'll see. I suppose my main thought was that this wet and warm stuff we have now will focus the attention on filling supers and that I'd better be ready to throw more on.

[EmsE]

I managed to find a break in the weather to see the bees, albeit they weren't too pleased to see me as the conditions weren't ideal. I was just very conscious that last inspection was a week ago, the forecast is rain for the next 5 days and people are making swarming predictions:eek:

So the inspection started with the colony I suspected most likely to have Queen cells in & was relieved there weren't any. Panic over and just went to have a 'quick' look in the other as I knew it wasn't great for me to be there but had to be sure. About 6 charged Queen cells found!!- none sealed thankfully.

[gavin]

Also went to see mine in a break in the weather this evening and ... also ... they weren't too pleased to see me. Checked the three biggest ones and none had even eggs in queen cups ... so my frame-making in the rain this afternoon wasn't necessary. I did put a super on one though. The rain has had the desired effect and the bees were very busy with rape and sycamore I think. Now ... I have a talk to prepare!

[Jon]

I checked one of TT's in the association apiary today which swarmed yesterday with a clipped queen.
we had left a single sealed queen cell and discussed using the colony as a cell raiser.
I wasn't sure of the age of the cell and was scared of it hatching so after consultation with Tim I removed it this afternoon and gave it a wee piece of brood comb with eggs which I cut from an Apidea frame which it can use to make new queen cells.
This colony is a monster on double brood. It has two full supers and we put two more on yesterday.
I had no smoker with me but it was perfectly happy with just a little spray of water and I had the job done in 10 minutes. The worst thing is lifting the supers on and off.