After a cool & wet spring, I came back from vacation in mid-May to 
discover my hives had swarmed.  I thought I had time but should have 
remembered that they would swarm as soon as the queen cells are 
capped over!

I then set up my hives as 2-queen hives with virgin queens.  90% of 
them mated and started laying very nice patterns.  [My young queens 
are restricted to single deeps and it's great to see entire frames 
covered by solid brood from top to bottom and from side to side.]

Worker numbers came back to strength about 2 weeks ago.  
Unfortunately, the last 2 weeks have been dry - lots of idle bees in 
the hives.  The rains finally came on Friday and continued over the 
weekend.

Yesterday, during a longer break from the rain, bees were out 
visiting flowers everywhere.  They even worked hollyhocks around the 
house...  Catalpa is just about finished, basswood has started to 
bloom here and there.  White clover can still be seen in many places.

Goldenrain trees are starting to open up and clethera & crape myrtles 
will begin soon.  I wish there were more of them around.  The bees 
may still catch the tail end of the spring flow which ends by the 
middle of July for us.  Most of the super frames are still uncapped.

Later, Japanese knotweed and purple loosestrife, will sustain the 
bees but they're not abundant enough for a surplus.

If wet conditions continue through the summer, goldenrod may yield 
ample nectar in August/September.

It's been a strange season for me.  It's great to see very strong 
bees again though.  No shriveled wings and no varroa mites on exposed 
drone pupae.

This May and the first half of June have been absolutely record for 
me in terms of calls for house colony removals...  Especially in 
areas that historically don't have [known] beekeepers.  It seems 
ferals are continuing to come back. :))   

Waldemar
Long Island, NY

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