30 April 2024
The April edition of our 2024 blog. Written by the beekeepers here at Thornes.
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Well, April was much more disappointing than we had anticipated or hoped for! With a plethora of cold, wet and windy days, it has really not felt like April this year.
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We are used to the normal April showers here in Lincolnshire, but this month’s wintery weather has delayed some aspects of our beekeeping.
That said, we have still managed to get into the apiary to do a few jobs here and there. On the rare occasion it has been nice enough to go into a hive, we have had a very quick look at what is inside. Not a thorough inspection that we would expect to do at this time of year, but a peek inside to see how the colonies are faring. As you can see here, there is some brood building up and plenty of pollen. We are hoping that with all the oil seed rape sown in the fields round here, that the bees will soon be able to get on a honey flow. We just need the temperatures to rise a little bit!
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One colony here did not make it through the winter. On inspection, it looks like the entrance block has been blown out and interestingly, the bees made this propolis wall to fill the gap. Despite not surviving, this is still a rather impressive sight.
As with many apiaries, being located in a rural area we have our fair share of other visitors. The hive stand below is brand new, painted up ready to be used and whilst being left out temporarily, a rabbit has come along and nibbled the legs. What can you do?
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The main job this month would have been to try and take some nucs off, like we do every April. This month has been the hardest beginning to a season in a long time as with the weather, the bees are not drawing out comb, nor able to get out and forage. This will set us back a few weeks but we also know that once the good weather and higher temperatures arrive, we will suddenly be very busy. Unfortunately, no amount of preparation ever seems to be enough for beekeeping! We are sure that May will bring the beginning of a very active season.
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Beekeeper Blog
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