The choir invisibule

Image via Wikipedia

Well, it has happened as I predicted but much sooner than I thought. I now have no bees. Albeit for different reasons than I thought. It turns out that the colony was very small, probably because the shook swarm I did last year exhausted the queen and meant she was not laying properly.

To make matters worse the inspection prior to the shook swarm today showed that there were lots of eggs in some of the cells. So worker bees were laying, which means that the queen has failed. There was extra evidence in the fact that the bees had already made a queen cell though there was no chance that any queen would be produced for it. The chances of the existing queen mating and getting back to a good laying pattern are also remote because there are no drones around at the moment to mate with.

So the only solution was to disperse the colony and get rid of the bees. Great. So I have no bees. What I have to do now is wait until someone else to split their colony and take over the half they don't want.

Image via Wikipedia

If I'm looking for an upside it is this. If the shook swarm procedure had worked and the apiary was clear of EFB I would have asked to move my colony to the out apiary. Which is closer to where I live and has almost no other colonies on it so must be far less prone to disease breaking out.

However, if I had moved the existing colony, if it had got back to good health, then all the bees would probably have absconded as the out apiary is too close to the existing one. Three feet or three miles as the saying goes. This way I'll get new brood, be able to move it and start again with a new queen. Fingers crossed that the shook swarm clears the apiary out of EFB and we can get back to normal.

• Bees and ants are 'model citizens' (telegraph.co.uk)

Bee prepared

Temperature: 15C
What a pleasant day. The weather is finally getting itself sorted out and it has been sunny and warm all day. I spent my time getting everything in place for the shook swarm exercise this weekend. All the hives are being treated at the same time in a bid to eradicate th

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

e EFB that has plagued the site for months.

First off was a dash to Thornes for the last few bits I needed, namely brood frames and foundation. Then I spent a happy hour or so making up the frames and then flaming all the other bits - floor, crown board, brood box and excluder - to make up the clean hive. Once done I headed on over to the apiary and stacked all the equipment next to my hive ready for 4 April when the exercise will be carried out. All I have to do now is prepare the sugar syrup and clean the feeder.

While there I took the mouse guard off the front of my colony and then had look at how they were doing. They seem to be okay. I lifted the crown board and saw bees on about five frames. Not the strongest start I have ever had but decent. The graveyard of bees out the front did not seem to have grown noticeably either.

But, if I'm honest, I think the shook swarm treatment will spell the end for them.

Image via Wikipedia

The queen I have is now three years old; ancient in bee years. She will be laying far less than a queen in her prime and expecting her to get the colony going again may well be too much. Unless I keep a close eye on them, feed them a lot and re-queen quickly then they may well just dwindle away to nothing later in the year.

I did get a new Danish queen last year but she died before I could introduce her to the colony. I've heard that other colonies in the apiary lost their new Danish queens over the winter so it may be good luck to still have my old queen rattling along.

Topping up

Temperature: 4C
Another quick visit today just to top up the syrup. I was going to have more of a look at the frames but that will have to wait for better weather. There were hardly any bees flying today and when I cracked the crown board to get at the brood box the bees boiled up through the holes. I don't think they were very impressed. It was cold and overcast so probably best to leave them for now.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that next week it is warmer so I can get a good luck and assess their chances for the start of the year. My assessment? I've left feeding them too late given the bad weather. I think they will limp along then collapse just as I'm starting to seek our or raise a new queen.

Is there anyone there?

Temperature: 9C
I have bees. Which is a surprise. The colony had a pretty rough time towards the end of 2008 - what with a varroa infestation hitting them and then losing all their brood to shook swarm. All that pretty much convinced me that I would have no bees this year; that they would have starved to death over the winter - even though I did leave them a few frames of stored honey.

I didn't have too close a look but when I removed the blocks from the openings in the crown board they swarmed up - not something they would do if they were on their last legs. I gave them some syrup and I'll check them again on Wednesday this week to top that up and get a good look at how many frames they are occupying. The weather is due to turn cold this week again so that syrup may well help them get a better start than they otherwise would. We'll see.