On the BBC news website today is an article on the losses of honey bees, due to last year’s wet summer and the following long winter.
Sadly, this will not be news to many of us and one wonders what the remaining summer and next winter has in store for our bees!
Swarming is a hot topic at the moment and once which causes many beekeeping beginners and novices stress.
Bees can raise a queen from a day old larva (i.e. 4 days after the egg was laid) and the cell will be sealed on the eighth or ninth day after the egg was laid. So at this time of the year inspections are recommended at four or five day intervals – we all have experience of going back a week after a previous inspection when no queen cells were seen to find that they now have sealed queen cells. At which point the old queen has usually left the hive.
Clipping the queens wing, or wings prevents her flight and so while she may leave she will fall in front of the hive* and after a time the bees that left with her will return until the first virgin queen emerges when they are likely to leave in a cast (secondary) swarm. But this can give you a few extra days and if the the attempted swarm has been seen then you have confirmation that the bees are intent on swarming and not superseding the queen.
The Demaree method can suppress the swarming urge – which simply destroying queen cells will not do – and requires the minimum of additional equipment. The rather good Barnsley Beekeepers Association website has this excellent description of the Demaree method.
The more adventurous beekeepers among you may wish to try using the Snelgrove method – also described on the Barnsley Beekeepers Association website.
*this may seem cruel but remember that survival rates of swarms are very low and swarms can find homes in a location causing problems for householders. So letting them go is not a good option.
Welsh Government recently issued the Draft Action Plan for Pollinators for Wales as a consultation document.
The PBKA has put together a response, which it has sent on behalf of the association and the document is attached for information (see the link at the top of the page).
This changeable weather can be very harmful to our bees, with some Bee Inspectors already reporting low levels of stores. It is the responsibility of the beekeeper to ensure that they have sufficient stores to see them through until better conditions allow them to forage in earnest again.
We need to establish the level of stores within the hive* and if necessary supplement them by feeding syrup** and /or pollen.
Please, do not allow colonies to dwindle or perish, when we can do something to stop it.
John Page
General Secretary
Welsh Beekeepers’ Association
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Footnote from Pembrokeshire Beekeeper
* Do not let the level of stores fall below about 5 kg. To help with estimating, a BS deep frame full on both sides holds about 2 kg of stores – but of course stores will be spread across several frames.
** A “weak” syrup mixture should be fed 1:1 by weight is a good compromise and easy to remember.
Best Practice Downloads from Beebase which may be helpful:
Pembrokeshire Beekeepers' Association 