Weather wise, July was an almost seamless continuation of June with a continuous flow of pollen and nectar.
Supers were going on almost weekly to such an extent that it was becoming difficult to handle the top ones,(For me at least).
Many colonies have built up to be full to overflowing with bees, restricted only by frames in the brood chamber getting clogged up with honey, restricting the queen’s laying space.
It would appear from reports by others at the apiary, my own bees and apiary inspections, that around mid July queens have reduced their laying rate to a minimum and in some cases stopped altogether. Obviously, one reason for this is that honey is being stored and capped in the brood chamber, leaving the queen little or no room to lay.
The question is WHY, are the bees storing honey in the brood chamber when there is plenty of room in the supers.
Attendance at the apiary remains good, with some regulars and some occasionals’ each week, the shared workload makes life a lot easier for me.
Although we have taken some supers off for extraction, we are fast approaching the stage where we will do the main harvest followed by an Api-guard treatment, while the temperature is still favorable.
The queen rearing program, for one reason or another, was not a great success, however, with what we have left at the apiary and individual’s supplies all that wanted nucs have or will receive them.
Keith.
