[log in to unmask] wrote about the rainy spring and resulting swarms in
New England and upstate NY.  I have had similar experiences this year and
have had to resort to drastic measures to keep the bees at home.  Nearly all
my colonies were split for spring nuc sales.  It was quite a task making up
the splits on the few dry days we had, and the splits offered little
deterrence to keep the parent colonies from building up quickly and casting
swarms.  I was perhaps too complacent that splitting the hives would keep
them from swarming and did not see it coming, as there have been too few dry
days to check all the hives to see the signs.  Luckily I discovered the
imminent swarms just as the virgin queens were about to emerge.  In spite of
drastic measures, many hives have swarmed.  Many others are currently
running as split colonies atop Snelgrove boards with honey supers sandwiched
between.  Many split colonies have been split again.  And few colonies are
producing much honey, most are determined to cast swarms.

The black locust was a wash out - when it wasn't raining the nectar had all
been washed away and there was none to be collected.  Basswood (linden),
Yellow clover and sumac are all coming on big time right now, but there have
been few good flying days.  If it would stop raining the supers could fill
quickly (if the bees decide it's time to stop swarming and start
collecting).  Unfortunately, many colonies are in post-swarm mode and will
need to build up before they collect.  Many hives are devoid of brood as the
new queens are mating and not yet producing.  It will be a season of few
producing hives, but those that produce will fill many supers.

I have a few colonies (3) devoted to pollen trapping.  Those colonies have
been yielding copious pollen harvests on days when it doesn't rain (there
have been 3 days without rain this month, 3+ inches of rain above average
for June, 9+ for the year so far) and one pollen hive is ranking with my
other producers/non-swarmers for honey production.  It's beet wet, but not a
TOTAL washout.  I agree with Tim's assessment that there has been little
else for the bees to do but raise brood and throw swarms.  I wonder how they
manage in areas like Seattle?  Roy?  I have all but given up on
concentration on the honey harvest, I will not be in need of extra honey
supers this season.  And this year I have many build last winter ready to
go!  Don't it figure.

I have been trying to work with my bees, figuring if they're bent on
swarming I'm bent on splitting (hence the numerous colonies running as duals
atop Snelgrove boards).  By this fall, every hive going into the winter will
have a nuc on top.  I'm already looking ahead to next spring!

I guess the good news is (or could be) that if/when the colonies get over
the swarming urge and if/when the weather dries up, things are shaping up
for a huge fall goldenrod and aster bloom.  Conditions have been near
perfect for these plants to thrive.  If it dries out the fall harvest could
make up for the dismal spring.  A lot of my hives are currently recovering,
rebuilding populations and could be in good shape for a fall crop.  I will
be looking at mid summer mite treatments, if necessary, around loostrife
bloom, with an eye towards fall flow if the weather patterns change.

Coupled with the poor results from the Russian queens, this is shaping up to
be a dismal season.  I'm discovering that hives that had released the
Russians are now raising their own supercede queens.  I am not ready to make
an across the board assessment of the Russians, but I have yet to find a
Russian colony that impresses me.  I can't help but feel a little deceived
by the folks behind the introduction program.  I wonder why nothing was said
about these acceptance problems, nothing at all, until the commercial
breeders and consumers discovered it on their own.  Could it be there were
no such similar problems in Louisiana and these acceptance problems only
surfaced in the field?  I admit I'm skeptical and will be looking for
answers at EAS 2000 in Salisbury.

Aaron Morris - thinking when it rains, it pours!