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  from  Madeleine Pym <[log in to unmask]> contains these words:
 
 
> Well it has been a positively 'medieval' year here in this area. If
> people were still burnt for being witches a lot of our neighbours would
> have been sacrificed by now.
 
> Why?
 
> Well, we have seen things not seen before - or at least only very
> rarely.
> It started with a very early spring followed by some truly awful weather
> just as the queens would have gotten into full lay. Much too early. It
> turned wet and cold, and never improved very much for the rest of the
> season.
(SNIP)
> I would be very interested to hear from other parts of the world that
> have lived with varroa for some time to know whether they experienced
> these sort of seasons but with good weather. It would also be good to
> hear from beekeepers in other parts of the UK as to whether they would
> confirm similar findings or not, maybe it has been a relatively local
> phenomena. At present it is preferable to blame it all on the 'vagaries
> of the weather'.
 
> Nonetheless, despite the weather honey yields have been pretty much as
> good as other years, unlike the experience of our Irish friends who seem
> to have borne the brunt of it all, or at least that is the last thing I
> heard from over that way, and little honey has been gathered at all
> among some of the beekeepers there.
 
Here in the North of Scotland, we have had the second worst summer on
record for weather and I, for one, won't be taking any honey at all
this year - despite the fact that we are still Varroa free.
 
Our problems started with a very warm February when all my queens
started laying (whole books have been written on how to keep bees
warm in winter - but nothing on how to keep them cool!).  This was
followed by blizzards in early March and heavy snow in April leading
to the loss of most of the brood.  No hives were lost, but the
numbers so depleted that the rest of this miserable season has been
reduced to a campaign just to build up numbers.
 
Swarming was never even contemplated and I don't recollect even
seeing a queen cell.  As I write this, each hive now has one shallow
super of honey and I'm going to let them keep it.  They worked hard
enough for it - often out in the pouring rain, which was most unusual.
 
The coldest place reported in June in Europe (and that included
Spitzbergen, Finland and part of Siberia) was Achnasheen, just 20
miles up the road from me!!!
Surely next year can't be as bad.
 
Whilst it would be tempting to attribute the lack of exotic swarming
behaviour to the fact that we are Varroa free, I can't help thinking
that the weather played the major part,
 
Phil.
(Northern Highlands of Scotland)