R&DBKA

April brings busy bees - swarming season will soon be here

At last, spring has arrived. Oil seed rape will soon start to turn yellow in many of our fields. Queens in our area are busily laying, so now is the time to check all your colonies for sufficient space to accommodate the brood and incoming nectar. Some colonies are already raising drones; will those colonies produce queen cells - and prepare to swarm - by the end of this month? Starvation remains a risk early in the month until there is a strong foraging force, so stores must be checked. A worker takes 21 days from egg to emerging and another 3 weeks until she leaves the hive to go foraging. If you have not already done so, check for Varroa and perform a thorough health check on a warm, calm day. Give your bees clean comb. Inspect weekly and have your swarm control procedure practiced and ready. Remain on the look-out for Asian hornets

Keep an eye on the weather:

• In spring the bees will use every warm, dry day to forage and build up colony strength. Cold or damp days can slow them down
• In summer the days are long but if it is too dry there will be a shortage of nectar; too wet, and they will be unable to forage
• In autumn the bees are consolidating. If it is warm, they will carry on rearing nrood and foraging. Cold weather will send them into a cluster
• In winter they will cluster to keep warm, but heavy rain may lead to damp conditions in the hive, strong wind can topple a hive that is not secure, snow can block the entrance

Click for the weather forecast for Romsey.
Check the forecast for the coming week to be ahead of your bees

We make no apology for repeating this message.
If you have not yet heard about the Asian hornet, please pause to read this.
It is not native to UK. It was introduced accidentally to the south of France and in a few short years it has bred, evolved and migrated throughout western Europe.

It is a predator with an insatiable appetite for insects. All of our native insect species are at risk but a colony of honey bees offers a feast. A colony of Asian hornets will eat their way through a hive of bees in a few days by 'hawking' in front of the entrance and picking the bees off as they come and go.
Please look out for this predator. It may be pretty but it is not welcome. In fact, it is NOTIFIABLE so if you see one, please refer to the the latest advice IMMEDIATELY