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Subject:
From:
Peter Edwards <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 1 Jun 2004 10:00:11 +0100
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Phil Moore wrote:

>>The weather has been good here in Shropshire UK...

I am surprised that you would describe the weather this year as good!  I am
just a bit south of you in Stratford-upon-Avon and I would say that the
spring has been very poor so far.  Perhaps you have fared better.

According to my records, during April the temperature only rose above 16C on
3 days and there was significant rainfall on 14 days.  In the first 14 days
of May we had only 2 days with a maximum above 16C, 9 nights with a minimum
below 10C, 8 days with significant rainfall
and on 12 days there was complete cloud cover at the time of recording the
weather 8-8.30am.

Although the second half of May was better, there were cool (or cold!)
northerly winds on 8 days and minima of 4C and 5C on the nights of 23rd and
24th - just right to start rape honey granulating in the combs!

Despite all this, we have over 100lbs of honey on many colonies, although
those in the apple orchards have fared very badly.  Field beans are now in
full flower and there was a good flow over the weekend - but today there is
heavy cloud and rain.

Swarming has been exceptionally heavy - more than I have seen since varroa
arrived in 1997, which is perhaps a good sign of colony health.  However,
queens have been slow to mate and a number of colonies split to prevent
swarming earlier in May still have no laying queen.  I suspect that we will
have to re-unite soon, but the extraction of the crop comes first.  I shall
start queen rearing in July when the weather is more settled (ever hopeful!)
and the workload is reduced.

Peter Edwards
[log in to unmask]
www.stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk/

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