That is an exhilarating time within the beekeeping season. Such a lot attainable … no dispiriting setbacks but, no failed lime harvest or laying staff.
The whole lot to play for 😀.
The lengthy iciness wait is – or will in a while be – over, and the season correct will start. Relying upon your latitude, issues can have began a month in the past, or you’ll be able to be expecting them to … quickly.
Even though in all probability no longer somewhat once you prefer to.
Right here in Scotland, we settle for that a part of the quid professional quo for residing on this stunning nation is that we wouldn’t have 3 supers on each and every hive through mid-March.
Or occasionally, ever.
It is tricky observing the Twitterati busily bragging about their teetering hives, bloated supers or April queen rearing, whilst we fight with 7°C and but extra rain.
Nonetheless, sooner or later issues get going and – inside per week or two – apiary visits cross from informal, make-work journeys, interspersed with tea and tinkering within the shed, to military-type manoeuvres involving logistics, lengthy days, heavy lifting and a shopping-list of ‘should do’ actions.
And, understanding that, it is almost about now that you just realise you’ve gotten no longer constructed sufficient frames this iciness, or ordered enough basis, or – cue the sombre track – ever checked that the hive entrances have been transparent.
In case you stay cattle, you can have useless inventory
Beekeeping is a seasonal job, with quite a bit to do within the spring and summer season months. On the other hand, even though the overdue autumn and iciness are much less busy, there’s nonetheless paintings that wishes doing.
And that comes with common hive exams …
Some beekeepers, on checking their colonies in March or early April, will probably be disenchanted.
That sturdy colony final autumn is now silent, or best has a handful or two of previous, darkish, knackered and profoundly depressed-looking bees in it.
As soon as a few frames are pulled out, or the brood field is prised off the ground, the rationale turns into transparent. The doorway is blocked with corpses, so any surviving bees have been trapped, not able to make early-season cleaning flights. You can ceaselessly to find indicators of Nosema, with the highest bars of frames and the side-walls of the brood field stained with bee faeces.
Even though the entrances are utterly transparent, the colony can nonetheless be moribund.
Why?
Demise like flies
With very little brood rearing within the coldest months of the 12 months, the inhabitants of grownup staff – the iciness bees – inevitably dwindles.
The fee at which they die off is without delay associated with the well being of the colony (and almost definitely might not be at a hard and fast fee that I have illustrated).
The graph above presentations two colonies. The information is totally made up, however the numbers are extensively consultant of what could be anticipated.
Each colonies input November with an grownup bee inhabitants of 20,000. Brood rearing has stopped, and may not get started once more till after the iciness solstice … even then, it is at a low degree, and I have left out it altogether {{1}}.
It is price emphasising that there’s compelling medical proof that sturdy colonies – in overdue autumn, no longer excessive summer season – overwinter higher than vulnerable colonies.
The chance zone
The wholesome colony reviews a 4% lack of grownup bees every week. The ‘bad’ colony suffers double that loss … in large part as a result of ‘bad’ most often manner increased ranges of Varroa and deformed wing virus (DWV). Prime ranges of DWV are identified to cut back the longevity of bees.
Via the tip of the 12 months, the employee inhabitants within the bad colony has dropped beneath 10,000, a determine no longer breached within the wholesome colony till early/mid-February (wherein time they are going to be rearing brood).
If the employee inhabitants drops beneath a viability threshold – labelled within the graph above as ‘The chance zone’ – the colony can not, or would possibly not, live on.
The proper degree of this viability threshold goes to rely on the elements, the hive insulation and a host of alternative elements {{2}}. I have plotted it at 6,000, but it surely may well be kind of than that relying upon the stipulations.
This threshold will have to be considered as colony viability, no longer that of person bees.
Some bees would possibly neatly survive till March, April and even Might – the ones “previous, darkish, knackered and profoundly depressed-looking bees” – however the colony is successfully useless. There are too few staff to take care of a sufficiently excessive temperature within the brood nest (34°C) to rear new brood, a minimum of at a significant fee.
Against this, the ‘wholesome’ colony keeps enough staff that new brood will also be reared. After all, the previous iciness bees proceed to die off, however sooner or later the rising brood outstrips those losses (changeover day) and the whole grownup bee inhabitants subsequently will increase; the cycle begins in all places once more, and they will be pondering of swarming in 6 weeks time!
Carry out your useless
If the elements is continually deficient, the bees can not get out on cleaning flights, and the undertaker bees – there are such issues – are not able to take away the corpses that experience collected over the former days and nights.
The dotted strains at the graph above point out the numbers of corpses that may be generated in a 6- to 7-week length {{3}}. Assuming the hive ground used to be transparent on the finish of the 12 months – and it is probably not – a chronic chilly spell may outcome within the accumulation of ~4,000 useless bees, greater than enough to dam the hive front.
And not using a go out from the hive, staff are pressured to defaecate inside of, resulting in illness transmission … and but extra corpses.
I think that one of the vital exterior triggers that stimulate brood rearing – the early season pollen and nectar – additionally do not occur (for the reason that front is blocked), which means that colony construction is at very best not on time or, at worse, doomed.
Even though I’ve dismally didn’t calculate the quantity of a useless bee {{4}}, my again of an envelope calculations guesstimates counsel that 4,000 corpses would produce a 1-2 cm deep layer masking a Nationwide ground.
None of that is any comfort when you’ve not too long ago opened your hive and located a big pile of mouldy corpses.
On the other hand, figuring out what went unsuitable would possibly assist subsequent iciness.
Kewl flooring
My most popular Kewl flooring have an L-shaped front, negating the will for mouseguards and offering higher coverage towards wasps and robbing bees in overdue summer season.
On the other hand, they do have a quite greater tendency to get blocked within the iciness, so I’m assiduous in checking the entrances incessantly.
Mouseguards too can prohibit the go out of corpse-carrying undertakers (in particular if they’re fitted the other way up), so once more the entrances want checking and clearing.
Failed queens
Every other reason why you could discover a small cluster of “previous, darkish, knackered and profoundly depressed-looking bees” while you open the hive in early Spring is for the reason that queen failed.
The whole lot appeared excellent on the finish of final summer season … however sooner or later within the autumn or iciness the queen ran out of sperm, or simply stopped laying and not restarted.
Every now and then you can discover a drone laying queen, different occasions you discover a non-laying queen, and seldom you can to find no queen in any respect.
Most often, the colony will probably be so much much less energetic than the ones round it which might be queenright.
Curiously, I do not take note ever discovering laying staff in a colony with a queen that failed overwinter. Wintry weather bees have excessive ranges of vitellogenin (Vg), a feature additionally noticed in laying staff, so in all probability it’s different options of the body structure of iciness bees that forestalls egg laying through staff. It is conceivable that job additionally calls for a nectar and pollen stimulus.
Or in all probability I have simply no longer appeared in sufficient failed hives in early Spring?
My very own losses this 12 months all seem to be failed queens. All are at the West Coast the place the summer season final 12 months used to be garbage, in particular all the way through the 6- to 7-week window my queens have been intended to be getting mated. It is just a small selection of hives, however nonetheless disappointing.
Against this, at the East Coast, the colonies have all come during the iciness very sturdy … which, in itself, has brought about a couple of problems (see beneath).
All exchange
Our iciness has been fairly delicate. In my per month ‘bee checkup’ journeys to the East Coast I used to be best stuck as soon as in a snowfall crossing Rannoch Moor. After all, the iffy climate no longer but over – there is nonetheless snow at the hills, and it is a balmy 7°C and raining laborious as I write.
However, although iciness might not be totally over, there are very glaring indicators that it is in retreat … and that it’s been fairly delicate.
Frogs have been spawning right here in the second one week of February, the earliest I have noticed through a minimum of per week. In case you examine earlier years at the superb Nature’s Calendar website online (in spite of fresh adjustments that experience made the maps harder to make use of … trace, take a look at Safari reasonably than a Chrome-based browser) you’ll be able to see how this varies from 12 months to 12 months.
The animated symbol used to be produced for a similar date (tenth February) for the decade. Examine 2020-21 with 2015-16 or 2019-20. I am not certain how up-to-date the 2024 information is, as there is a lag between filing a recording and it being verified {{5}}.
Curiously, it could no longer simply be temperature influencing the illusion of frogspawn. I additionally checked the Met Administrative center information for the 15-16, 19-20 and 20-21 winters and there aren’t any truly glaring temperature variations.
The primary migrant birds additionally seemed a little bit previous than commonplace. Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) are right here already, there are crimson throated divers (Gavia stellata) on one of the vital hill lochs and I realized each swallows (Hirundo rustica) and space martins (Delichon urbicum) on Monday.
It may not be lengthy till the cuckoos arrive …
These types of phenological occasions point out that issues are shifting apace, and that is mirrored within the forage to be had to the bees and the state of my colonies.
All browsing excellent
For causes I’m going to get to in a while, I had to test my colonies final weekend. It is a week or two previous than maximum years. Those were not thorough colony inspections; only a fast peek to be sure that there used to be a laying queen provide, cheap ranges of brood and enough shops to get them via any sessions with deficient climate.
All handed with flying colors.
I did little greater than gently prise off the crownboard, take away the dummy board and the outer body (noting the degrees of shops closing), after which cut up the brood nest roughly in part to permit me to test the 2 central frames.
I noticed a couple of queens, numerous brood in all phases, no grownup drones and nearly no drone brood. On the other hand, I did not test the outer edge of the brood nest, so I’d have neglected many of the drone brood if there used to be any.
With one exception, the worst colonies appeared a lot better than OK, and the most efficient colonies appeared superb.
It used to be very reassuring.
The one colony I had issues about used to be somewhat bizarre. Even though I did not test each and every body, it had nearly no sealed brood. On the other hand, the different frames I did test – I used to be in the midst of the brood nest and the hive contained numerous bees – used to be chockablock with eggs and larvae.
It appeared as regardless that the queen had taken a longer iciness wreck after which idea “Yikes … I have were given some catching as much as do”. It’ll be fascinating to look if/when the colony catches up with the others.
Maximum colonies had some closing capped shops, with lots of them containing contemporary nectar 😃.
Early season oil seed rape
Whilst riding between apiaries it used to be transparent that the oil seed rape (canola; OSR) used to be neatly complicated (and flowering) in sheltered spots, a lot previous than final season. Nearly without a doubt, that is in large part because of other lines grown through the farmers. Elsewhere the crop used to be nonetheless best knee-high and several other weeks clear of flowering.
Even though I have no idea whether or not the contemporary nectar used to be from early OSR (there is numerous willow about as neatly), the power of the colonies and the variety of construction of the crop gave me hope that this is usually a bumper spring.
The sugar content material of OSR nectar declines all the way through the length over which it flora, making it gradually much less horny to the bees. In some years the OSR flora ahead of the bees are in a position, which means they pass over the bonanza length. This 12 months, the colonies could also be sturdy sufficient and the early flowering could also be over a prolonged length as other lines/fields flip a stunning yellow color.
Now not best does the sugar content material according to flower drop, however so do the quantity of flora.
Sturdy colonies and a prolonged flowering length are what’s had to maximise the crop.
And excellent climate … ☀️ .
In terms of OSR … the one slight concern is that there seems to be much less than in earlier years. It is tricky to make certain with out visiting each and every likely-looking box (or till it is all in flower), however that is the affect I’ve to this point.
What? You do not like OSR honey? It makes superb cushy set honey and blends superbly …
Apiary adjustments
At fairly brief understand, I have been requested to vacate my greatest apiary as the landlord desires use of the web site. This has not anything to do with being a deficient tenant, and the whole lot to do with the ‘wading-through-treacle’ pace with which paperwork works in massive organisations.
It is at all times excellent to have a plan B … sadly, that web site used to be a little bit too stuffed with bees already.
Had the iciness been harsh, or had the queen mating season final summer season been a shocker, I would possibly have had fewer colonies to relocate. Sooner than opening the hives I used to be part anticipating to spend a protracted weekend uniting vulnerable (however wholesome) colonies with sturdy ones, halving the full quantity and squeezing a couple of moved hives onto some already overloaded stands.
Because it used to be, with that unmarried exception (lashings of eggs and larvae, however no sealed brood) the whole lot has come during the iciness browsing excellent … a pleasant drawback to have, however nonetheless, an issue.
I are living too a ways from the East Coast to spend days schlepping from farm to farm in quest of another web site. To compound the issue; a) I truly wish to discover a web site a little bit clear of the world of the county I do know very best, and b) far and wide is completely waterlogged.
Lots of the county seems like a First Global Conflict battlefield, with dust far and wide and status swimming pools of water in each and every hole, furrow and box margin.
‘Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted’ … however it could contain a Unimog and a couple of chest waders these days.
Fife ‘enjoys’ an annual rainfall of ~830 mm (11 12 months reasonable), however has gained 923 mm from October final 12 months … unsurprisingly, it is a entire quagmire.
Safe haven from the hurricane
As a brief answer, I have generously been presented house in an affiliation apiary. Even right here the bottom used to be impassable with out Buster, my trusty hivebarrow, with fresh proof of a automotive desiring to be towed out of the sphere through tractor.
Buster, a bathroom and bits of the final hive stand
With dismantled hive stands and hives at the back of the auto, Buster strapped to the roofrack, and a stout pair of wellington boots for the boggiest bits, the colonies have been moved with out mishap overdue one afternoon.
Early the next morning I moved every other set of hives after which added queen excluders and ‘rainy’ supers to the most powerful colonies.
That is almost definitely the earliest I have ever added supers to colonies in Scotland, so I am nearly without a doubt tempting destiny. On the other hand, the extra house will optimistically assist lengthen any swarming urges till the previous apiary to totally emptied and I have discovered enough house to retailer all of the further apparatus.
Then it’s going to be time to concentrate on queen rearing …
Imitation is the sincerest type of flattery
My writing and images are secure through copyright.
Nonetheless, there are at all times other folks in the market glad to forget about this and scalp person posts – or a duplicate of the whole website online – and provide it, completely unattributed, as their very own.
In looking for the OSR nectar yield information, I got here throughout a web site known as hive-haven.com.
What a host of clowns 🤡.
They have got downloaded a whole lot of pages from this web site however then mangled the textual content the usage of AI to provide one thing shut(ish) however completely garbled and in large part meaningless {{6}}.
Listed here are a few quotes:
Me – Being a beekeeper manner we will be able to nonetheless supply for family and friends. Now not somewhat a crofter however extra loyal than a hunter-gatherer.
Them – ‘Being a beekeeper manner we will be able to however provide for friends and family. Now not relatively a crofter then again additional dependable than a hunter-gatherer.’
WTF?
They ‘translate’ the name of the primary beekeeping e-book I bought (‘Bees on the backside of the lawn’) as Bees at the bottom of the yard 🤣.
It is so dangerous it is laughable, and – in some way – I am relieved it is unattributed.
Nonetheless, it is infringement of copyright.
So, in case you are in the USA and pondering of shopping for from hive-haven.con … DON’T.
The AI by myself is enough to point out they know little or not anything about beekeeping, and the truth that they have butchered my unique textual content the usage of AI – with none sanity checking, and even evidence studying – simply compounds the insecurity I’d have in them.
Bees at the bottom of the yard … superb.
Extra home tasks
In the end, a no longer unrelated couple of issues about The Apiarist.
A lot of people are signing as much as obtain weekly posts (which is excellent) which means I am sending >20,000 newsletters a month (which is dangerous as I pay for them).
I have subsequently performed my first cull of subscribers who by no means open the e-newsletter or consult with the web site.
Any person at the mailing record who gained however did not open the final 4 weekly posts has been taken off the e-newsletter record, however stays subscribed. In the event that they consult with the web site and check in, they may be able to once more opt-in to obtain the e-newsletter once more. I would be extremely joyful in the event that they did.
I’m going to repeat this cull periodically to check out and forestall the e-mail numbers rising to unmanageable (or unaffordable) ranges. Warding off the reduce is straightforward – open the e-newsletter (and, preferably, learn it!) and/or consult with the website online and check in.
Inevitably this reasonably crude screening procedure manner subscribers who’ve exceeded their mailbox limits, or have holiday auto-replies on for a month or extra at a time, may have were given the chop. There are a few hundred of those these days … too many to manually re-include.
In the end, some long run content material will probably be to be had to paying subscribers best – termed supporters or sponsors. The general preparations for this are these days being looked after out. I need some further price for readers who’ve supported The Apiarist and don’t need the draft chapters of my first e-book – Honeybees: their phase in my downfall – to be plagiarised, bowdlerized, butchered through AI and revealed on hive-haven.con {{7}}.
Please fortify additional articles through changing into a supporter or investment the caffeine that fuels my overdue night time writing …
Thanks
References
Enkegaard, A., Kryger, P., and Boelt, B. (2016) Determinants of nectar manufacturing in oilseed rape. Magazine of Apicultural Analysis 55: 89-99 https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2016.1192341.
{{1}}: We are close to the prohibit of my spreadsheet and mathematical abilities as it’s.
{{2}}: Notice the ‘catch all’ clause, because of this I do not truly know what else would possibly affect this.
{{3}}: On the attrition charges prior to now described.
{{4}}: Difficult, because the legs, wings and antennae imply they do not pack in combination tightly.
{{5}}: Notice additionally the potential of recording biases – there will probably be extra information for the extra populated areas of the rustic.
{{6}}: In equity, a few of it used to be garbled and meaningless ahead of they began.
{{7}}: Sure, the typo is planned.