R&DBKA

Holidays, Varroa checks and wasps

Romsey has experienced a cool, damp, disappointing July after a hottest-ever June. If you have harvested honey, check that your bees still have plenty left. Queens may be taking a brief break in laying before building a strong cohort of winter bees. Check that she has enough laying space (the bees sometimes back-fill the brood area with honey) and that they have access to water, which they need to regulate the temperature in the hive as well as dilution of honey to 50/50 for their consumption. Unless yo take bees to the heather, honey harvesting should be completed by the start of August to allow the bees plenty time to build winter stores. Check the colonies very thoroughly for disease and assess the Varroa population. Treat your bees now, taking care to read the instructions (which may have changed) so that the winter bees that emerge from now on are in good health. Look out for wasps and be sure to reduce the entrance so that your bees can defend their stores. Inspections can be less frequent now. If you 'super under', the end of this month can be a good time to get it done so that the bees can seal the joins with propolis.

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