Yesterday was the first manipulation of our 2 colonies of bees in Onslow Village, and based on what I found, we’re in for a lively start to the season. I’m more than OK with “boring”, but that’s not our girls.
2024 versus 2023
Last year saw a long, warm-ish, but soggy Spring, which meant that colonies across the country were building up, but the weather was not conducive to inspections or manipulation. Like many other beeks, by the time that the weather was kind enough to crack the hives and take a good look, the girls had taken matters into their own hands, and left home. We were on the back-foot from the get go, and for one reason or another, never really got to a happy place.
Weather-wise, 2024 feels very reminiscent of 2023, and wanting to learn from our experiences, we seized on the first day that offered 15C without rain.
Without consulting our hive record, the specifics of the season are not simple to recall in precise detail. Save to say, that by the end of it, I had a bee related broken toe, nearly a wrist, and came close to calling it quits. 2024 needs to be simpler, and I really do hope that we don’t spend the whole year questioning ourselves and each other over every single decision.
Holly
With the warm sun on my back, and hope, excitement, and a small degree of trepidation I set about manipulating Holly. Now, Holly has history with us. For a kick-off she doesn’t like hanging around, honey production is generally good, and the bees can be a tad more enthusiastic than is helpful.
I removed the roof, and saw that she had devoured the feeder of last year’s honey that we had put on scarcely a week before. Hungry girls!
The brood box, which was above the super, was choc full of stores and brood, and covered in a bewildering number of bees. As much as I wanted to take my time with them, I was aware that it was scarcely 15C, and I had a long way to go. I spotted a small number of drone wandering around, but no drone cells. I purposefully made my way through the brood box, before doing the same with the super. We were almost certainly queen-right, but with growing numbers of the girls airborne (despite reasonably generous smoke) I wasn’t shaking frames to get a proper look.
The super was like a cut down version of the brood box, with lots of brood, and remarkably little in the way of stores.
Based on what I saw, it seemed that the queen likes to take a wander, and was laying in the super and the brood box. I reassembled the hive, choosing not to put the queen excluder in, and with one sting to my name, I happily finished the manipulation. Holly was lively, and interested, but nothing untoward. The sheer quantity of bees was a delight to see, however we urgently need to perform a demaree, else it’s my strongly held conviction that 30K bees will be taking to the sky in the next couple of weeks.
Ivy
Last year Ivy was a season-long pain in the back-side, causing more problems than she was worth. Having re-queened during the season, what resulted was a colony that seemed broadly disinterested int doing anything useful. If Holly had been “grumpy”, Ivy had been “Dopey”, and waking them up in the morning was a struggle.
Not knowing what to expect, and with one sting to my name, I re-filled the smoker, and opened the roof. First up was the fact that she still had most of her honey left in the feeder – well, about 50% of it. “OK – so they don’t need so much” I concluded.
As I got into the brood box, it soon became apparent that they were laying down stores in quantities that are beyond me. The brood frames were absolutely rammed to the rafters with sealed stores, and weighed an absolute tonne. Imagine super frames full of honey – but twice the size. “Fair play” I thought. Again, I was not inspecting, so much as manipulating.
Ivy’s apparent sleepiness of 2024 has been replaced with what can only be described as vigorous interest in me. Having smoked the entrance and the top of the brood box, the air was full of bees. The phrase “control your bees” whirled round my head, but they seemed broadly oblivious to the smoker.
“Ping” off the veil. “Ping”. “Ping”. Around my head I had a circling collection of what I’ll charitably call “defensive” bees.
I took another sting to my hand – through marigolds and leather gauntlets that had a cotton sleeve. They had honed in on the original sting site, despite me having removed the sting, and vigorously smoked the glove. “Ping” they went on my veil again.
The brood box was crazy, but with limited brood, and quite a lot of sealed drone on on the bottom of the frames.
“Ping”. Sting. “Ping”. Sting.
The manipulation was now becoming mildly disconcerting. They even managed to land the smallest of stings on my stomach, though my suit and t-shirt…
The super was something of a repeat of the brood box. Lots of stores, and not much brood.
I hastily removed three brood frames full of stores to create some laying space (if they need it), and reassembled the hive – without the queen excluder. Not knowing where she was, I figured I’d give her the chance to head south for the summer.
“Ping”. Sting. “Ping”
As I sat away from the apiary, I had about 20 or so girls that simply wouldn’t leave me. Hopefully she will settle down, else we will have to do some thinking.
As with Holly, a demaree is on the cards.
I marvel at the fact that the girls can find a weak point through a bee suit, marigolds, gauntlets, and t-shirt. This is not to say that I embrace it – just respect it.
Onwards and upwards.
