The temperature has risen and March was the driest for 50 years. They haven't had decent snow in the alps since Christmas and according to the met office, our February was mild ! So another year in the life of the clients hives commences. The winter was long and everyone is in a different frame of mind now that the days are longer and the daytime temperature is far more enjoyable. As the song from Carousel says, "June is bursting out all over", for that read "Spring is bursting out all over". The blossom sprouting from trees in urban areas as well as the countryside is a warming and joyous sight, especially after the long dark cold few months we have had.
Great publicity still surrounding the plight of the honeybee. We had lots of calls about the Ainsley Harriet programme last week on BBC 1 about the lack of UK honey and the huge amount we import. Ainsley is a neighbour of ours and his passion flowed well throughout the programme. He's a charming and genuine guy and I'm sure the publicity the programme achieved will all help. The programme also featured HBAH friend James from www.thehivehoneyshop.co.uk. It was James who helped get us started 10 years ago and along with his fantastic assistant Julie, they have been a source of encouragement and help throughout the years. If you are ever in Northcote Road, Battersea, the shop is well worth a visit especially during the summer as they have an observation hive located within the shop.
Beekeeping season is well under way. Some consider this the most exciting time of the beekeeping year, when hives that have got through the winter months start the whole process over again. Once the temperature is up, the queen can start laying and the community inside the hive kicks into action. A pleasing site is seeing newly laid eggs in the horizontal cells and the worker bees out foraging on finer days. As the colony will have killed off most remaining drones (male bees) in the Autumn due to their redundant use, another promising site is the creation of new drone cells in the hive around spring. Drones are really only needed for mating purposes, but as the existing queen mated a year ago and is into the 2nd year of her 3 year life, the new drones being created are for mating with the potential new oncoming queen (who will obviously be a virgin) should the colony decide to swarm. Unlike the sight of a queen cell, new drone cells does not mean that swarming is imminent.
Numbers at the start of the 2nd year in the colony are considerably higher than the nucleus of the first year. This means there will be a lot more mouths to feed, so honey production is as ever crucial for the survival of the colony. A 1st year "Nuc" consists of approximately 5K bees. A hive that has wintered through successfully, will more than likely have around 20 to 30k citizens come spring of the second year. You can begin to understand one of the reasons for swarming is that the population will soon outsize the home they are in. This is why beekeepers extend the hive vertically, quite literally for more living space and more room for the queen to lay. Sadly by doing this, the risk of swarming does not disappear, but it is believed to certainly help reduce the chances of swarming.
One of the great aspects of working for HBAH is the contrast in all the hives, depending on what year the colony are in. Never a dull day and never a moment whereby you think you have mastered it, but thats one of the things that makes keeping bees so fascinating and intriguing.
To everyone with colonies,hives, hopes and great expectations, we wish you all a happy and successful season.
