A Day in the Life of Our Lancashire Beekeeping Operation
Welcome to Our Channel!
Hello and welcome to our channel. If you’re a returning subscriber, welcome back! If you’re new here, we’re a small but growing beekeeping operation based in Lancashire with multiple sites across Lancashire and Merseyside. Throughout the season, we focus on different crops to produce a variety of honeys. Let’s dive into the latest updates from our busy bees and the work going on behind the scenes.
Wrapping Up the Rapeseed Harvest
We’ve just finished up with our rapeseed (or canola) harvest for 2024. There are still a few lingering flowers, but the main nectar flow is over. Next up, we’re targeting hawthorn, which is still in bloom but also nearing the end of its flowering period. With the nectar flow dwindling, we’re hoping that some of the swarming instinct among the colonies will settle down. Today’s inspection will give us a clearer picture of what’s happening inside the hives.
Moving on to Field Beans
Our next goal is to head towards the field beans. However, due to the wet weather, these were planted a bit late, so they likely won’t start flowering for another month. To prepare, we plan to split some colonies to maintain our numbers and support our nucs (nucleus colonies) and overall hive health.
Weather Woes and Hive Maintenance
The weather lately has been unpredictable. After a stretch of warm days, we’re now expecting rain, with the forecast showing milder temperatures around 16-17°C for the rest of the week. Despite the fluctuations, the bees are still managing to bring in some nectar, though we’re not seeing much robbing activity yet.
With some colonies having fewer foraging opportunities, there are quite a few bees lingering around the hive entrances, waiting for a chance to get to work. During our last inspection, we noticed some crazy comb dripping with nectar, but the bees have now dried up every last bit of it. They waste nothing!
Preparing Frames and Foundation
Yesterday, I visited a fellow beekeeper, Harry, and picked up 300 sheets of foundation. I spent the morning assembling frames in preparation for another round of splits. We’ve got some queen cells developing, and it’s an ideal time for splitting colonies now that the main nectar flow is finishing up.
Liverpool Site Update
We’re also keeping an eye on our site in Liverpool One. Last week, we saw promising signs of the bees building out the brood boxes and adding nectar to the supers. Today’s inspection revealed that they’re still making good progress. It’s a joy to see how well they’re developing, even in this less-than-ideal weather.
Back at Our Lancashire Site
Up at our main Lancashire site, we’ve just set up a new nuc mating station. These homemade nucs are a great way to manage colony splits. We swap frames of bees, brood, and queen cells to boost colony numbers or prepare colonies for sale. During inspections, we also found that the bramble is starting to bloom, which could signal the end of the June Gap—a period where nectar sources can be scarce.
A Productive Week Ahead
The forecast for next week looks promising, so we’re hoping for another burst of nectar flow. We’ve left some capped supers on the site to continue collecting honey, and we’ll keep an eye on the growing field beans. The plan is to increase the hive numbers here, aiming for 40 to 60 hives in this prime location.
Addressing Issues and Challenges
Not all colonies are thriving, unfortunately. At our Hightown site, we discovered a dead-out hive and another with a laying worker. We’ve taken action by adding queen excluders to keep the queens in the brood boxes and manage the hive’s nectar stores effectively.
Wrapping Up
As always, the work of a beekeeper is a balance of careful planning, ongoing inspection, and responding to the needs of the bees. We’ve dealt with late swarms, rain delays, and expanding colonies, but the results are promising. Stay tuned as we continue to follow the progress of our bees and share more insights into our beekeeping journey.
Thanks for reading, and remember to like, subscribe, and share if you enjoyed this update. Until next time, happy beekeeping!
