June in the Apiary

Well I hope that by now the first phase of swarming has passed us by. If you were lucky and your colonies did not swarm, some will have managed to get some early honey. If you did not manage to stop the swarming impulse all is not lost, many of these early swarms can yield a small crop for us. You need to feed these swarms/ large casts well, Ambrosia syrup is ideal,  until they have spread across the brood chamber completely. It may even be possible to get a super of honey from them. The thing to remember is to keep them working at all times and feed them well.

Don’t forget it is best to think ahead and get all your supers ready for the main honey flow, usually the 3rd week of June to the 2nd week of July. However, with the change in weather patterns here in the South East who can tell, lets just be ready and hope for great things, providing we keep our bees strong.

It maybe one of those years that nature say’s its just swarms to be harvested, no matter how big or small, they should all be given a chance of survival, particularly given the current climate of dwindling colony numbers.

Good Luck, and look out for the July chat.