That is an thrilling time within the beekeeping season. A lot potential … no dispiriting setbacks but, no failed lime harvest or laying staff.

All the things to play for 😀.

The lengthy winter wait is – or will shortly be – over, and the season correct will start. Relying upon your latitude, issues might have began a month in the past, or you’ll be able to anticipate them to … quickly.

Although maybe not fairly as quickly as you prefer to.

Right here in Scotland, we settle for that a part of the quid professional quo for residing on this lovely nation is that we do not have three supers on each hive by mid-March.

Or generally, ever.

It is robust watching the Twitterati busily bragging about their teetering hives, bloated supers or April queen rearing, whereas we battle with 7°C and but extra rain.

Nonetheless, finally issues get going and – inside every week or two – apiary visits go from informal, make-work journeys, interspersed with tea and tinkering within the shed, to military-type manoeuvres involving logistics, lengthy days, heavy lifting and a shopping-list of ‘should do’ actions.

And, realizing that, it is nearly now that you simply realise you’ve got not constructed sufficient frames this winter, or ordered ample basis, or – cue the sombre music – ever checked that the hive entrances have been clear.

If you happen to hold livestock, you will have lifeless inventory

Beekeeping is a seasonal exercise, with heaps to do within the spring and summer time months. Nonetheless, though the late autumn and winter are much less busy, there’s nonetheless work that wants doing.

And that features common hive checks …

Some beekeepers, on checking their colonies in March or early April, shall be upset.

That robust colony final autumn is now silent, or solely has a handful or two of previous, darkish, knackered and profoundly depressed-looking bees in it.

As soon as a few frames are pulled out, or the brood field is prised off the ground, the explanation turns into clear. The doorway is blocked with corpses, so any surviving bees have been trapped, unable to make early-season cleaning flights. You will usually discover indicators of Nosema, with the highest bars of frames and the side-walls of the brood field stained with bee faeces.

Even when the entrances are utterly clear, the colony can nonetheless be moribund.

Why?

Dying like flies

With little or no brood rearing within the coldest months of the yr, the inhabitants of grownup staff – the winter bees – inevitably dwindles.

The price at which they die off is instantly associated to the well being of the colony (and doubtless won’t be at a hard and fast price that I’ve illustrated).

The graph above reveals two colonies. The information is totally made up, however the numbers are broadly consultant of what could be anticipated.

Each colonies enter November with an grownup bee inhabitants of 20,000. Brood rearing has stopped, and will not begin once more till after the winter solstice … even then, it is at a low stage, and I’ve ignored it altogether {{1}}.

It is value emphasising that there’s compelling scientific proof that robust colonies – in late autumn, not excessive summer time – overwinter higher than weak colonies.

The hazard zone

The wholesome colony experiences a 4% lack of grownup bees per week. The ‘unhealthy’ colony suffers double that loss … largely as a result of ‘unhealthy’ normally means elevated ranges of Varroa and deformed wing virus (DWV). Excessive ranges of DWV are identified to cut back the longevity of bees.

By the top of the yr, the employee inhabitants within the unhealthy colony has dropped beneath 10,000, a determine not breached within the wholesome colony till early/mid-February (by which period they are going to be rearing brood).

If the employee inhabitants drops beneath a viability threshold – labelled within the graph above as ‘The hazard zone’ – the colony can’t, or might not, survive.

The exact stage of this viability threshold goes to depend on the climate, the hive insulation and a bunch of different elements {{2}}. I’ve plotted it at 6,000, nevertheless it may very well be roughly than that relying upon the situations.

This threshold needs to be seen as colony viability, not that of particular person bees.

Some bees might effectively dwell on till March, April and even Could – these “previous, darkish, knackered and profoundly depressed-looking bees” – however the colony is successfully lifeless. There are too few staff to keep up a sufficiently excessive temperature within the brood nest (34°C) to rear new brood, a minimum of at a significant price.

In distinction, the ‘wholesome’ colony retains ample staff that new brood will be reared. In fact, the previous winter bees proceed to die off, however in some unspecified time in the future the rising brood outstrips these losses (changeover day) and the full grownup bee inhabitants subsequently will increase; the cycle begins once more, they usually’ll be pondering of swarming in 6 weeks time!

Convey out your lifeless

If the climate is persistently poor, the bees can’t get out on cleaning flights, and the undertaker bees – there are such issues – are unable to take away the corpses which have collected over the earlier days and nights.

The dotted traces on the graph above point out the numbers of corpses that may be generated in a 6- to 7-week interval {{3}}. Assuming the hive ground was clear on the finish of the yr – and it may not be – a chronic chilly spell might outcome within the accumulation of ~4,000 lifeless bees, greater than ample to dam the hive entrance.

With no exit from the hive, staff are pressured to defaecate inside, resulting in illness transmission … and but extra corpses.

I think that a number of the exterior triggers that stimulate brood rearing – the early season pollen and nectar – additionally do not occur (as a result of the doorway is blocked), which means that colony growth is at finest delayed or, at worse, doomed.

Though I’ve dismally did not calculate the quantity of a lifeless bee {{4}}, my again of an envelope calculations guesstimates recommend that 4,000 corpses would produce a 1-2 cm deep layer masking a Nationwide ground.

None of that is any comfort when you’ve lately opened your hive and located a big pile of mouldy corpses.

Nonetheless, understanding what went flawed would possibly assist subsequent winter.

Kewl flooring

My most well-liked Kewl flooring have an L-shaped entrance, negating the necessity for mouseguards and offering higher safety in opposition to wasps and robbing bees in late summer time.

Nonetheless, they do have a barely elevated tendency to get blocked within the winter, so I’m assiduous in checking the entrances recurrently.

Mouseguards may prohibit the exit of corpse-carrying undertakers (significantly if they’re fitted the other way up), so once more the entrances want checking and clearing.

Failed queens

One other purpose you would possibly discover a small cluster of “previous, darkish, knackered and profoundly depressed-looking bees” while you open the hive in early Spring is as a result of the queen failed.

All the things appeared good on the finish of final summer time … however in some unspecified time in the future within the autumn or winter the queen ran out of sperm, or simply stopped laying and by no means restarted.

Typically you will discover a drone laying queen, different instances you discover a non-laying queen, and infrequently you will discover no queen in any respect.

Usually, the colony shall be loads much less lively than these round it which can be queenright.

Apparently, I do not bear in mind ever discovering laying staff in a colony with a queen that failed overwinter. Winter bees have excessive ranges of vitellogenin (Vg), a attribute additionally seen in laying staff, so maybe it’s different options of the physiology of winter bees that stops egg laying by staff. It is doable that exercise additionally requires a nectar and pollen stimulus.

Or maybe I’ve simply not appeared in sufficient failed hives in early Spring?

My very own losses this yr all seem like failed queens. All are on the West Coast the place the summer time final yr was garbage, significantly in the course of the 6- to 7-week window my queens have been speculated to be getting mated. It is solely a small variety of hives, however nonetheless disappointing.

In distinction, on the East Coast, the colonies have all come by way of the winter very robust … which, in itself, has triggered a couple of points (see beneath).

All change

Our winter has been comparatively gentle. In my month-to-month ‘bee checkup’ journeys to the East Coast I used to be solely caught as soon as in a blizzard crossing Rannoch Moor. In fact, the iffy climate not but over – there’s nonetheless snow on the hills, and it is a balmy 7°C and raining onerous as I write.

However, although winter will not be absolutely over, there are very apparent indicators that it is in retreat … and that it has been comparatively gentle.

Frogs have been spawning right here within the second week of February, the earliest I’ve seen by a minimum of every week. If you happen to examine earlier years on the wonderful Nature’s Calendar web site (regardless of latest adjustments which have made the maps tougher to make use of … trace, strive Safari reasonably than a Chrome-based browser) you’ll be able to see how this varies from yr to yr.

The animated picture was produced for a similar date (tenth February) for the final decade. Examine 2020-21 with 2015-16 or 2019-20. I am undecided how up-to-date the 2024 information is, as there is a lag between submitting a recording and it being verified {{5}}.

Apparently, it may not simply be temperature influencing the looks of frogspawn. I additionally checked the Met Workplace information for the 15-16, 19-20 and 20-21 winters and there aren’t any actually apparent temperature variations.

The primary migrant birds additionally appeared a bit sooner than regular. Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) are right here already, there are pink throated divers (Gavia stellata) on a number of the hill lochs and I noticed each swallows (Hirundo rustica) and home martins (Delichon urbicum) on Monday.

It will not be lengthy till the cuckoos arrive …

All these phenological occasions point out that issues are transferring apace, and that is mirrored within the forage out there to the bees and the state of my colonies.

All wanting good

For causes I am going to get to shortly, I wanted to verify my colonies final weekend. This can be a week or two sooner than most years. These weren’t thorough colony inspections; only a fast peek to make sure that there was a laying queen current, affordable ranges of brood and ample shops to get them by way of any durations with poor climate.

All handed with flying colors.

I did little greater than gently prise off the crownboard, take away the dummy board and the outer body (noting the degrees of shops remaining), after which cut up the brood nest roughly in half to permit me to verify the 2 central frames.

I noticed a couple of queens, a lot of brood in all phases, no grownup drones and virtually no drone brood. Nonetheless, I did not verify the periphery of the brood nest, so I might have missed a lot of the drone brood if there was any.

With one exception, the worst colonies appeared a lot better than OK, and one of the best colonies appeared wonderful.

It was very reassuring.

The one colony I had issues about was a bit of unusual. Though I did not verify each body, it had virtually no sealed brood. Nonetheless, the a number of frames I did verify – I used to be in the midst of the brood nest and the hive contained lots of bees – was chockablock with eggs and larvae.

It appeared as if the queen had taken an prolonged winter break after which thought “Yikes … I’ve acquired some catching as much as do”. Will probably be fascinating to see if/when the colony catches up with the others.

Most colonies had some remaining capped shops, with a lot of them containing contemporary nectar 😃.

Early season oil seed rape

Whereas driving between apiaries it was clear that the oil seed rape (canola; OSR) was effectively superior (and flowering) in sheltered spots, a lot sooner than final season. Nearly actually, that is largely attributable to totally different strains grown by the farmers. Somewhere else the crop was nonetheless solely knee-high and a number of other weeks away from flowering.

Though I have no idea whether or not the contemporary nectar was from early OSR (there’s lots of willow about as effectively), the power of the colonies and the vary of growth of the crop gave me hope that this may very well be a bumper spring.

The sugar content material of OSR nectar declines in the course of the interval over which it flowers, making it progressively much less enticing to the bees. In some years the OSR flowers earlier than the bees are prepared, which means they miss the bonanza interval. This yr, the colonies could also be robust sufficient and the early flowering could also be over a protracted interval as totally different strains/fields flip a stunning yellow color.

Not solely does the sugar content material per flower drop, however so do the quantity of flowers.

Sturdy colonies and a protracted flowering interval are what is required to maximise the crop.

And good climate … ☀️ .

With reference to OSR … the one slight fear is that there seems to be much less than in earlier years. It is troublesome to make certain with out visiting each likely-looking discipline (or till it is all in flower), however that is the impression I’ve up to now.

What? You do not like OSR honey? It makes wonderful comfortable set honey and blends fantastically …

Apiary adjustments

At comparatively quick discover, I have been requested to vacate my largest apiary because the proprietor needs use of the positioning. This has nothing to do with being a poor tenant, and the whole lot to do with the ‘wading-through-treacle’ velocity with which forms works in giant organisations.

It is at all times good to have a plan B … sadly, that website was a bit too stuffed with bees already.

Had the winter been harsh, or had the queen mating season final summer time been a shocker, I may need had fewer colonies to relocate. Earlier than opening the hives I used to be half anticipating to spend an extended weekend uniting weak (however wholesome) colonies with robust ones, halving the general quantity and squeezing a couple of moved hives onto some already overloaded stands.

Because it was, with that single exception (lashings of eggs and larvae, however no sealed brood) the whole lot has come by way of the winter wanting good … a pleasant drawback to have, however nonetheless, an issue.

I dwell too removed from the East Coast to spend days schlepping from farm to farm looking for an alternate website. To compound the issue; a) I actually need to discover a website a bit away from the realm of the county I do know finest, and b) in all places is completely waterlogged.

A lot of the county seems to be like a First World Conflict battlefield, with mud in all places and standing swimming pools of water in each hole, furrow and discipline margin.

‘Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted’ … however it will contain a Unimog and a pair of chest waders for the time being.

Fife ‘enjoys’ an annual rainfall of ~830 mm (11 yr common), however has acquired 923 mm from October final yr … unsurprisingly, it is a full quagmire.

Shelter from the storm

As a brief resolution, I’ve generously been provided area in an affiliation apiary. Even right here the bottom was impassable with out Buster, my trusty hivebarrow, with latest proof of a automobile needing to be towed out of the sector by tractor.

With dismantled hive stands and hives behind the automobile, Buster strapped to the roofrack, and a stout pair of wellington boots for the boggiest bits, the colonies have been moved with out mishap late one afternoon.

Early the next morning I moved one other set of hives after which added queen excluders and ‘moist’ supers to the strongest colonies.

That is most likely the earliest I’ve ever added supers to colonies in Scotland, so I am virtually actually tempting destiny. Nonetheless, the extra area will hopefully assist delay any swarming urges till the previous apiary to utterly emptied and I’ve discovered ample area to retailer all the extra tools.

Then it is going to be time to give attention to queen rearing …

Imitation is the sincerest type of flattery

My writing and pictures are protected by copyright.

Nonetheless, there are at all times folks on the market completely satisfied to disregard this and scalp particular person posts – or a replica of the whole web site – and current it, totally unattributed, as their very own.

In trying to find the OSR nectar yield information, I got here throughout a website known as hive-haven.com.

What a bunch of clowns 🤡.

They’ve downloaded a great deal of pages from this website however then mangled the textual content utilizing AI to supply one thing shut(ish) however totally garbled and largely meaningless {{6}}.

Listed here are a few quotes:

Me – Being a beekeeper means we will nonetheless present for family and friends. Not fairly a crofter however extra reliable than a hunter-gatherer.

Them – ‘Being a beekeeper means we are going to nonetheless current for household and mates. Not pretty a crofter nonetheless additional dependable than a hunter-gatherer.’

WTF?

They ‘translate’ the title of the primary beekeeping ebook I bought (‘Bees on the backside of the backyard’) as Bees on the bottom of the yard 🤣.

It is so dangerous it is laughable, and – in a approach – I am relieved it is unattributed.

Nonetheless, it is infringement of copyright.

So, when you’re within the US and pondering of shopping for from hive-haven.con … DON’T.

The AI alone is ample to point they know little or nothing about beekeeping, and the truth that they’ve butchered my unique textual content utilizing AI – with none sanity checking, and even proof studying – simply compounds the insecurity I might have in them.

Bees on the bottom of the yard … superb.

Extra housekeeping

Lastly, a not unrelated couple of factors about The Apiarist.

Plenty of individuals are signing as much as obtain weekly posts (which is sweet) which means I am sending >20,000 newsletters a month (which is dangerous as I pay for them).

I’ve subsequently performed my first cull of subscribers who by no means open the publication or go to the positioning.

Anybody on the mailing checklist who acquired however did not open the final 4 weekly posts has been taken off the publication checklist, however stays subscribed. In the event that they go to the positioning and check in, they will once more opt-in to obtain the publication once more. I might be delighted in the event that they did.

I am going to repeat this cull periodically to attempt to cease the e-mail numbers rising to unmanageable (or unaffordable) ranges. Avoiding the minimize is straightforward – open the publication (and, ideally, learn it!) and/or go to the web site and check in.

Inevitably this reasonably crude screening course of means subscribers who’ve exceeded their mailbox limits, or have trip auto-replies on for a month or extra at a time, could have acquired the chop. There are a few hundred of those for the time being … too many to manually re-include.

Lastly, some future content material shall be out there to paying subscribers solely – termed supporters or sponsors. The ultimate preparations for this are presently being sorted out. I would like some further worth for readers who’ve supported The Apiarist and don’t desire the draft chapters of my first ebook – Honeybees: their half in my downfall – to be plagiarised, bowdlerized, butchered by AI and printed on hive-haven.con {{7}}.

References

Enkegaard, A., Kryger, P., and Boelt, B. (2016) Determinants of nectar manufacturing in oilseed rape. Journal of Apicultural Analysis 55: 89-99 https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2016.1192341.

{{1}}: We’re close to the restrict of my spreadsheet and mathematical abilities as it’s.

{{2}}: Notice the ‘catch all’ clause, which implies I do not actually know what else would possibly affect this.

{{3}}: On the attrition charges beforehand described.

{{4}}: Difficult, because the legs, wings and antennae imply they do not pack collectively tightly.

{{5}}: Notice additionally the potential for recording biases – there shall be extra information for the extra populated areas of the nation.

{{6}}: In equity, a few of it was garbled and meaningless earlier than they began.

{{7}}: Sure, the typo is deliberate.