2016 Observations

[GSF]

2016 Observations.

I realize that 2016 isn't over yet but so far here's what I've noticed that was different than last year;

Honey darker on the first pull.

More honey this year, heck of a lot more! This is the first week in August and I have GOT to pull honey again. This is the 4th time this year. Why? You ask? When I had about my 10th swarm in July I took a quick peek in my hives - they were full. This is after pulling it towards the end of the blooms.

More swarms in July - probably no room.

More small hive beetles than I've seen in the 4 summers I've been keeping bees. My 3 frame nucs probably had 70 to a hundred in them. That took two weeks from swarm capture to this.

I had three nucs destroyed by sugar ants & small hive beetles, one of the three had a ton of wax moth cocoons in there as well. I put them in the shade because #1 - brown plywood boxes, heat #2 I was afraid if I put them around the others they would rob them out. They're there now.

Another thing about the July swarms, I've had a lot of problems with them staying in the box. Last spring I could throw a super at a swarm and they'd go in it (lol)


What have you noticed this season?

[Michael Bush]

Way more swarms and they were two weeks early.  More queenlessness of the hives that swarmed.  I had to requeen a couple of them and introduce queen cells to a bunch of them.  A really good flow really early.  A lull for the last month.  They're losing weight, but a little is still coming in.  I haven't fed syrup for almost a decade but I may have to if I want those hives to build back up from swarming, enough to winter.