The British are known for complaining about the weather, and the last year has given us plenty to complain about. Nevertheless, the bees get on with whatever comes their way.
Winter losses are anecdotally higher than expected (although we always “expect” not to lose bees, don’t we?). A better picture will be revealed once the NBU has conducted its winter losses survey. Most of the reasons put forward are to do with the weather: that it’s been a wet winter, the drought of last summer and autumn resulting in poor forage for rearing winter bees, and more. We can’t discount disease. Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus and Varoosis take their toll.
The good news is that the colonies that have survived are doing very well. So well, in fact, that quick inspections on the odd warm day reveal that the queens have not been idle and that drone brood is already being raised. As a drone emerges from its cell 24 days after the egg was laid, and the young drone takes about 2 weeks to mature, this means that viable drones will be flying by mid-April if the weather holds; and that signals the start of the swarming season.
A healthy colony will intuitively swarm. The swarming impulse gives us the opportunity to intercept their plans, split the colony (when the time is right for the bees) and make up for those winter losses.
It’s time to put the bait hives out!