Supering Bees Giving Them A Lifeline This Spring

[@philipbarker7672]

Hoping from Wednesday we’ll get some warmth. South wales definitely needs it.

[@DiverPeg]

I am putting on syrup feeders as soon as it stops raining. Colonies are small. Dumfries and Galloway

[@_J.F_]

In over 10 years of beekeeping I have never had to feed as much as I have been doing these past 6 months. Thankfully we have had a few days with some sunshine recently but my colonies are all on the light side and quite behind when it comes to building up brood nests. There will not be any worth while spring honey this year and the only 'positive' is that I don't need to worry about swarming for quite a while. It is probably not how it works but I could certainly do with some of that global warming right now 😬

[@gwenyngruffydd]

We could definitely do with some sun and heat!!

[@dogblackprincehoney]

I've watched some Ukrainian beekeepers and they have weather +23 C nearly all of April.

[@paulfairbrass4424]

Same story over here in Ireland, our weather is your weather. Luckily i have wet Super's. But fingers and toes crossed, next weekend looks very hopeful.

[@gwenyngruffydd]

It’s definitely looking promising 🤞🏻

[@aidan4158]

I'm from West Sussex and I have had to split two of my colonies as they had 7 & 9 frames of brood with charged swarm cells, they already had 1 super with 3 - 5 frames full of nectar. I'm still having to watch the hives stores and one of my colony died due to the queen dying in winter and there were not many drone laying workers left. Hope your bees are doing well and this weather warms up 🐝

[@redflag4781]

I'm going back to the south coast! 😂

[@petervanstone4097]

You are in the garden of England,l was told when a boy.l must come and join you,lts deadly here.

[@Dan-wo4bx]

Yeah i’m in W.Sussex i’ve got a super on and looks like plenty of activity! My first year of beekeeping so I’m flying blind at the moment had the bees for a month or so they haven’t died or buggered off so I’m taking that as a win 👍🏻

[@Dan-wo4bx]

@@petervanstone4097I think anyone from Kent might get the hump with you calling sussex the garden of England but i’ll take it !

[@redflag4781]

Inspected ours on Friday, lots of bees, v low on stores, crap weather ahead. Feeding time again!

[@gwenyngruffydd]

🤞🏻 for some sun!

[@redflag4781]

@@gwenyngruffydd Good today, crap forecast for us

[@Devonhoneyandcandles]

it's been a terrible spring here in Mid Devon, most of the supers i have put on are empty , I'm now starting to panic as i'm running out of moves. We all need to start doing a sun dance and cross all our fingers.

[@gwenyngruffydd]

🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

[@williamjordan1671]

Thanks for all your help Griff

[@gwenyngruffydd]

No problem 😊

[@bennybeekeeper]

I hope the weather improves for you soon 👍

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Thank you ☺️

[@geraltofrivia8529]

Got wasp traps out too in the apiarys, had close to 20 queens so 120,000 (?) wasp stress reduction this year so far. Waiting on hornet queens. I've got a commercial under a national brood with a very black queen with bees that mob my hand like those of yours, i'm breeding from her this year, great bees for cold flying, early buildup and securing property.

[@user-Sandgrounderhoney]

Fear not .... summer has arrived

[@InTheHive-Beekeeping]

Great video, thanks for sharing the more difficult bits (shake out). I tried to requeen a drone layer, but they had become laying workers. Wasted a good queen trying to save them when i should have just cut my losses.

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Thank you ☺️ It’s never easy. When they are at that stage they are dead. They just don’t know it.

[@DenbeeHoney]

Great video… tractor envy going on here Griff ❤

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Thank you! It’s not as nice as your Massey though!!

[@DenbeeHoney]

@@gwenyngruffydd hahaha I’d have to agree 👍🏻

[@honeybeesforsale]

Excellent explanation of what to do with a colony headed by a drone laying queen

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Thank you ☺️

[@davidmaloney2724]

Perhaps you want to feed bud as that supper will last them two days. The small colonies usually have some stores but the big ones as you know may be dry. We are supposed to get two days of hot weather tomorrow but Wales is rainy on the best of days right just worried for you.

[@gwenyngruffydd]

It’s pretty rough here at the moment

[@davidmaloney2724]

@@gwenyngruffydd yeah same wish you all the best.

[@gadgetmansbees]

How have you managed to keep your supers mould free? I kept mine in a shed over winter and had to get rid of loads of frames which has become excessively mouldy.

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Either in a sealed building or wrapped up and stored outside

[@hevchip741]

Hit the like button guys

[@gwenyngruffydd]

😊👍🏻

[@davidmaloney2724]

Same problem here south of France. Temperature is to low for nectar been feeding one was almost dead if I had not caught it. Very unusual spring

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Hope it’s not more of what’s to come!

[@TheWindy45]

Hey Griff, how much do you think the geoengineering is having an effect. The govt spray operations hae been horrendous the last 6 months and they are clearly spraying and blocking our sun !!

[@gwenyngruffydd]

I don’t know enough about it. I see more and more comments talking about it though.

[@Justin_P911]

Would requeen the brood layer not be an option? Or is it only worth a shake out?

[@dogblackprincehoney]

You mean drone layer? Not worth it. I did last year gave them a virgin queen and they killed her.

[@gwenyngruffydd]

The bees are too old to survive. And they will more than likely kill the queen. Better use of a new queen for her to be used in the creation of a new nuc.

[@eggshoney7633]

Thumbs up for saying "from America, not China"

[@redflag4781]

I thought that was a bit odd tbh.

[@gwenyngruffydd]

🇺🇸💪🏻

[@redflag4781]

​@gwenyngruffydd Are you saying that China cannot make products of an equivalent quality to America? That is patently nonsense.

[@zebrabing]

@@redflag4781 I am saying that I have had very bad experiences (plural) buying high end goods. Very bad. Never again, and if you dont like it, you can get stuffed.

[@redflag4781]

@@zebrabing Errrr, did I mention you?