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Walking the yard at lunch and this guy crashed landed onto the top of the hive. Looks like we are going to be starting swarm season.
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Drones are out - Upstate SC
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One of my Buckfast hives kept quite a few over the winter. This one was Jan 9. They are flying in hopes to find a queen. Craziest thing I've ever seen.
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Swarm season starts March 1 in NE Georgia and sooner in south Georgia. I started feeding 1.5:1 sugar syrup at the beginning of February. My bee population is booming. The wild pear trees (Callery pear trees) buds are about to burst Temps will be up in the 70's this week.
Spring is here.
"
February - March
Food demands are increasing as brood production is picking up. It is now advisable to switch to a lighter 1 : 1 syrup. All mite treatments should be completed no later than the end of February.
Colonies may be preparing to swarm by the beginning of March, or even earlier in south Georgia. One of the primary goals of beekeeping is to keep this from happening. At this point the best preventive measure is to equalize colonies, taking brood from stronger colonies and giving it to weaker ones. Cutting queen cells, every 10 days at maximum, is another way to reduce swarming (Fig. 3).
Now is the time to note poorly-performing queens, those with little brood or brood with a patchy pattern (Fig. 4), and to target them for replacement.
Floral sources: red maple, spring titi, canola, blueberry, orchard plants.
Spring is here.
"
February - March
Food demands are increasing as brood production is picking up. It is now advisable to switch to a lighter 1 : 1 syrup. All mite treatments should be completed no later than the end of February.
Colonies may be preparing to swarm by the beginning of March, or even earlier in south Georgia. One of the primary goals of beekeeping is to keep this from happening. At this point the best preventive measure is to equalize colonies, taking brood from stronger colonies and giving it to weaker ones. Cutting queen cells, every 10 days at maximum, is another way to reduce swarming (Fig. 3).
Now is the time to note poorly-performing queens, those with little brood or brood with a patchy pattern (Fig. 4), and to target them for replacement.
Floral sources: red maple, spring titi, canola, blueberry, orchard plants.
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