Hurrah - They Made It through The Winter!

G Bee relaxing in the sun on the back of a daffodil just outside the hive

I know this photograph only shows one bee sitting on the back of a daffodil but this is just a representative G Bee.  If you followed last year's blog, you will remember that we moved the G Bees to the out apiary to save them from unrelenting wasp attacks.  Originally, we thought the remaining G Bees might be queenless and that their numbers were so depleted they would have to be united with the SueBees at the out apiary but there was enough evidence of a queen (even though we couldn't find her) that we set them up in a "nucleus" to over-winter.

A nucleus is a small kind of beehive (see the picture below) that has a variety of uses, one of which is to home small colonies that would be lost in a normal hive.   As they have much less space to heat, a nucleus can give a very small colony the best chance of survival in Winter.    The mild 2015-2016 Winter may have helped too but it also encouraged bees to fly raising the risk that they would use their winter stores faster.  We put fondant - (yes, like the sweet goo you use to ice cakes!) - under the roof of the nucleus within easy reach of the bees to supplement their stores as a precaution.

Over the Winter, we've cleared the soft fruit bushes (black currants, gooseberries and raspberries) away from the the apiary as we think they might attract wasps there and we will be extra vigilant for wasp nests this year so, a couple of weeks ago, we moved the nucleus back to the main apiary on a cold dry day when all the bees were huddled indoors to keep warm.   

We were delighted to see them out flying in numbers a few days later indicating that they have survived the worst of the Winter.  A quick peek at the fondant shows that the G Bees have hardly touched it.

Look carefully and you can just see the start of activity at the entrance

The Rubettes in the main hive are buzzing with activity.   I know it's probably too early but I want to move them from their two normal size brood boxes on to a single big brood chamber to give them comfortable room for the nest and when they are building up the colony in Spring is the time to do it. The weather forecast is for a mainly dry and sunny week but low temperatures.   However, these girls are flying in large numbers when the sun is on the hive and neighbours have reported them visiting their gardens too so I have risked giving them a project.     

I warmed up a spare deep brood chamber on a lovely sunny day when the wind was almost non-existent.   To make the wax in the frames inside the brood chamber more acceptable, I warmed it with a hairdryer until it smelled fresh, then I whipped the crown board off the Rubette's hive and carefully put the deep brood box on.  I noticed that the girls had started to build brace comb so they are looking for more space.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they move up into the new brood chamber.  The willows are starting to flower and that will give them the encouragement they need but whatever the weather, I can leave the Rubettes undisturbed for a few weeks which is just as well if the weather stays too cold for the first proper inspection.