Spring has sprung after the winter that never was Downunder

[mick]

Well that was winter. It was very mild, one or two mild frosts, not many nights below 10c. No weeks of cold weather.

Bees kept working more than I thought. I left em alone, just checked em a couple of times by opening up the top of the two boxes. So when I had a good look the other day it was a surprise.

I had watched them closely in their trips from the entrance, lots of pollen and nectar going in. It didnt stop, the count was high on good days 10 a second or so. On mild days there were still one a second arriving with something.  

So the top box is full. There was quite a bit of comb between the two boxes which I will deal with when my suit arrives. You see they are a bit more lively  now. Not nearly as freindly. However its now a full sized colony instead of the  small swarm it was 12 months ago, so I now need a suit instead of a veil.

I added another super so I  will have two full depth then a queen excluder and then another full super.  Half size ones for ease of handling I think from there on.

Requeen you say? Perhaps, perhaps not.

I noticed a few hundred buzing around the hive the other day, behaving like Ive never seen before. I doubt they were swarming, no reason to. I thought robbers, but they havent returned after that one day. Everything seemed back to normal that night.

Im thinking maybe it was a mating flight or something.

But then again, Im thinking it might have been a huge message session directing everyone to where the new food is thanks to this warm weather of the last week, 25 even 30c.

There was no fighting going on, heaps coming and going, a lot doing laps around the hive at hive height and lower, heaps up high doing their jobs collecting and no sign of swarming. So what do you think.

So a good winter for the bees, a good spring this few weeks in. I have to do I thorough inspection and think about requeening.

Think thats about it, got the hang of it I reckon.

[Brian D. Bray]

>>I noticed a few hundred buzing around the hive the other day, behaving like Ive never seen before. I doubt they were swarming, no reason to.

Correct, no swarming; too early in your spring for that.  Most probably they were juvenile bees on orientation flights.  They will make several such flights over the period of a week or so just prior to "graduating" to foraging.

[mick]

Thanks mate, I almost got it. Didnt even consider the Juvenile aspect as I haevt had a proper look and my suit isnt going to arive befoe the weekend. I might smoke em a little and have a peek, just to get em used to the idea.

Woo that is my hundredth post! wheres me prize. or was it?

[Yarra_Valley]

Hi mick,

so its warming up nicely at home? good to hear. 30 degrees you say, omg its heating up quickly over there. Its starting to get a little cooler in Europe now. I'm on the black sea coast of Bulgaria at the moment, but we're running out of sun over here.


Keep us all informed on the bees.

James.

[Brian D. Bray]

>>Woo that is my hundredth post! wheres me prize. or was it?

Another 100 and you graduate to golden member.

[mick]

James, watch out in Bulgaria, I got done over there once. You see anyone wearing an Eels Tshirt its mine. They left me my passport and jocks lol.

Been heaps of days in sept over 20, bushfires already, one 27,000ha in murray sunset national park, another escaped controlled burn by DSE known as "department of scorched earth" and plenty more.

25 now.

[Yarra_Valley]

hehe, deparment of schorched earch lol. they will probably change their name again next week now.

so what was dnre called, and before that nre?

For those of you that don't know, the forestry department likes to change its name every week or so, don't really know why :S.

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