Norfolk Honey - The food of Kings

Honey comb ready for extraction

Poswick apiary - Box MC6

Costessy swarm 2013

Inspection March 13th 2014

There were plenty of bees coming and going when I arrived at the apiary taking in pollen of different colours (the Willow trees are full flower as is the blackthorn and cherryplum) and I could see that the bees were busy taking the feed from the Ashforth feeder that I put on a couple of days ago.

The colony had been left to over winter with a super under the brood box - i removed that when I put the feeder on and I replaced the (solid) floor with a clean one.

The box is set with the frames going the 'warm way' the frames being parallel with the entrance block (I have removed the mouse guard). There was virtually no stores left in the super but on inspection today there is plenty of stores left in the brood frames.

The brood was on just two frames. I could see a ring pattern with cells where brood had hatchedand that had been laid in again.

A couple of the cells had Chalk Brood.

The queen is small and unmarked.

I put on a second brood box with clean frames. Alternate frames had foundation the others were blank. Aftrer putting the Ashforth back on top of the top brood box I checked several times during the day to see if the bees were getting up there to feed. There were not as many bees feeding as when the feeder was nearer the brood.

If I keep feeding I hope the colony will get strong enough to draw out wax and use the top brood box.

Replacing the queen with a new one may help get rid of the Chalk Brood. But first I want to get the bees onto new wax.

Inspection Wednesday 8th April
The bees have drawn out three frames in the top box but as yet the queen has not moved from the bottom box.


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