In the beginning of March the bees had their main cleansing flight after winter. In the beginning of April most of them had more combs and boxes given. At the end of April another round checking food, need for thymol,
Aiming for a new season
Jante and The Involuntary Adviser
“It is better to listen to a string, which burst, than never to span an arc.” Verner von Heidenstam (Swedish poet), 1902, Invocation and Pledge Jante verbalize the unwritten law that says that you can not stand up and
Oxalic side effects
Oxalic acid has been used for many years in Europe to kill Varroa mites in bee colonies. Recently it has been approved for use in USA. Photo: Anders Berg When choosing between strategies against this mite it’s good to know
Meeting the sun
The second Sunday in March the temperature, wind and sun, together with filled intestines of the bees that had produced the heat for the winter cluster took these bees out to meet the sun. The main cleansing flight took place.
Evaluation of season
Around Christmas I get time to do work on an Excel application on the computer, feeding it with new figures about the honeybee colonies from the season. It helps me identify the least good colonies (which will get their queens
Prepared for winter
It’s been a very busy time for some time now. From about August 5 to August 25 all supers above queen excluder are harvested and honey extracted, the third removal for the season. Those colonies showing wingless bees on the
Reading the hardboard
One of the most important parts in my management system has become a simple thin hardboard in front of the entrance. The first thing I do when I come to an apiary is going reading them. They give a lot
Swarm from a tree
Last year my friend had a call in July about a swarm that had come from a big old tree. The cavity couldn’t bee very big. And the swarm was not big. http://www.elgon.es/diary/?p=235 But the bees in the tree survived the
First increase, the first apiary
A couple of days ago I started for the new season, to check colonies for need of food and for increase of space for bees and brood. I want to give you some glimpses. I checked four apiaries that afternoon.
Colony 47
Colony 47 is a remarkable colony. It started as a walkaway split last year. From colony 236. It is placed in apiary 4 as colony no 7. The split was moved from apiary 23 to apiary 4. When I checked