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With queen rearing on the agenda now's the time to get them old apideas, BIBBA single frame nucs and my EWK's prepared with fresh foundation. Also get supplies of fresh fondant ready and the grafting frames cleaned up. I use the chineese tool as the thin blade lifts the larvae with its brood food with ease. I'll be putting in my Drone combs, one in each selected breeder hive in the next day or two. Although , this year the long range forcast says we are going to have a cold wet july so inseminating ...

Had a wee look in at the two hives which i doubled up, bees at the feedhole in the upper brood box so maybe queen rearing will start in 2 weeks or so, things looking up after such a bad start to the season

Nice to see Kelly, Francoise, Krystian, Rick, Carol, Bruce, David and Sylvia yesterday - and for their visit to coincide with an afternoon (just) warm enough to open hives at my apiary if not the breezier association one.

What did we find? Well tempered bees (better than the few opened last Sunday) and not a bit of hostility from any of them (the bees ... ). Plenty of pollen packed in around neat brood nests. Colonies varying from about 5 frames of bees with brood on 3, to 9 frames ...

15c today so I checked the 10 I have at my allotment.

The good news is that all the queens are there but the bad news is colony strength.
I have about 6 colonies on around 3 frames with a bit of sealed brood and another 4 which might be better off in apideas.

Other than that I have a couple of tiddlers in the garden and a few at the association apiary which are not too strong either.

I had an e-mail earlier this evening from someone in my BKA who ...

It briefly touched 8C today, and this is what it did for the bees at the apiary. The traditional early spring picture of Gavin's bees properly wakening up. It is 3rd April and they are still bringing in some (very) late snowdrop pollen and also something that looks very like willow. On my way back to work the willow trees near the association apiary were in flower with their silver pom-poms now yellow here and there.

First off, see what was trotting along the track on the way into ...