[gourangaoo]

We are virgin bee keepers, we are about to get a swarm of bees, what we are wondering is it too late to produce any honey for this year. or how late could we leave it to ensure honey for this year. we have our hive in position now.
any advise would be greatfully recieved.

 

[Sundance]

Really depends on your climate, England.... right?

Swarms take off pretty fast so I'd think if everything goes well you should be able to take some honey off. Fall feeding will let you snitch a bit more honey.

If there is no flow of nectar going on you should feed them to ensure rapid comb construction.

 

[Michael Bush]

>what we are wondering is it too late to produce any honey for this year.

Probably.

>or how late could we leave it to ensure honey
for this year.

To ensure it? April 2005.

>we have our hive in position now.
any advise would be greatfully recieved.

Where are you? I have no idea if pontefract is in Australia, Finland, Antartica, Idaho or Honduras. If you're in Hondoras you have a bit of a season ahead of you yet. If you're in Australia, you're battening down for winter. If you're in Finland it's just thawing out. If you're in Antartica it will never thaw out. If you're in Idaho it's just spring.

Judging by your user name I'd guess you're an Aussie. They seem to like those funny sounding names.

 

[gourangaoo]

hello
we are from the UK...yorkshire. So its spring here. It could be may/june now before we source soome bees, if so, does this mean we have no chance of having any honey this year.

 

[Michael Bush]

If you had gotten them in April I wouldn't count on honey but it's possible. If you got a package now, you still MIGHT get honey, but I wouldn't plan on it. Bees that thrive can do amazingly well or amazingly bad or simply mediocre.

If you can buy a hive or a some frames of bees, you will have a better chance of it.

 

[tecumseh]

I think the relavent question is... how much honey?