Even some honey!

I really don't want to put a spoiler on things, but the bees have recovered given this fine hot spell and there is even a honey crop! Well we'll see how the next few weeks go and if all remains well then there's  some for me and still loads for the girls. Unbelievable given how the season opened up.

Ssssh! ............Don't Say Anything!

The bees are okay, I won't say any more than "long may this continue"!

Warmer, better..

Dare I say Summer at last. The bees have responded well, long may it continue!

Good and Bad

Some Oil Seed Rape is going over which means honey in supers needs to be removed (as this honey granulates hard and does so very quick), but there are only small amounts- the farmers in their wisdom from the long winter have also planted some Summer Flowering Rape that is now appearing - more toil and trouble for beekeepers. The bees will work the Rape in preference to many other sources so other flowers will not get pollinated so well, in addition to the low numbers of bees anyway.

Dare To think..No, This is a Crisis!

Checking my colonies this morning I was beginning to breathe a huge sigh of relief as all appear to be building well - after all it is only June!! Then along came the rain "just like last year" I thought and the concerns came flooding back (no pun).
Bee Farmers report a crisis and I have to agree BUT WHO IS LISTENING? Not our government it seems!
People need to be made aware, need to listen, and then action needs to be undertaken ( the right action).

Hope (And Pray)!

Again today it has turned colder and gone very wet. What we need is a long, warm, dry spell; and not just days or even weeks but months is what the bees need. If this summer turns out like last summer then I ask "What hope for our bees ?" It is time for a greater power to work in favour.

Is it Me??

Is it me, am I doing something wrong, or are other bee keepers not as "forth coming"?
I have checked my colonies to see how they have come out of winter; I have 15 laying queens and 5 colonies so small they don't look capable of surviving. I am very upset (I could say gutted). Statistically that is over 50% losses. Bee Farmers portray a similar story, but local bee keepers say they have lost around 30%.
AND- Is it me, or is the public getting the wrong story portrayed to them.I know I have already said this:There are big concerns over Varroa and Pesticides yes, but the real concern at the moment has to be the climate (in particular) over the last twelve months. The non existent summer where the bees had to be fed to keep them alive! Followed by the long, cold winter has decimated my colonies - queens did not mate properly last year and with no nectar (and little pollen) bees were poorly nourished for the winter we have just had. To me this is a real concern. My colonies are about 6 weeks behind in their build up which adds to the problems unless we have a long hot summer. But no one seems to be highlighting any of this!!!
Or is it just me???