A rush job

Temperature: 15C
Weather: Warm and sunny
Stings: None

For the first time in months some proper beekeeping. I went along today thinking that all I would do was remove the feeder and have a quick look to see how they were doing. But it didn't quite go like that.

I took off the feeder and underneath theImage via Wikipedia bees were building out some comb. I cracked the crown board and wax was built on the top of the frames inside too. I'd bumped some of the cells while taking off the feeder and inside was nectar or sugar syrup. Not what I was expecting.

The warmer weather and blossom that has flowered everywhere looks like it has encouraged the to build up quickly this year. I was expecting that I would have another week before I started moving them to fresh comb. But I didn't.

So I rushed off to get a brood box full of foundation and semi-drawn comb that I'd got ready. I went back and put it on the colony to give them some room and something to do with all the wax they are creating.

I was worried about disturbing then so much but they were very well behaved, perhaps because the weather was so good lots of them were out foraging - when I turned up I saw loads of scouts hovering out the front on orientation flights. Even those that took off when I opened up the brood box happily went back in with a bit of smoke. A good day.

I'll admit now that this is a risk. If the weather turns bad then I'll have a colony with lots of work to do and nothing to do it with. And I'll have to return to using sugar syrup to get them going. Looking at the forecast I think I've got a week or so of good weather which, with all the forage there is around, should get them well set up. I just hope they've got no other surprises in store for me.