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Dry as a desert - where to find water

We haven't had enough rain yet this spring which is having some serious affects on nature. The bees are bringing in nectar, but I honestly don't know where they are finding it! Since the beginning of April, the weather has been warm and dry, which is uncommon for central Europe in the spring.

Water is scarce, so the bees are trying to get it wherever possible. We even observed some bees trying to get moisture from my mother-in-law's freshly watered vegetable garden. My in-laws have a water container about 150 meters north of the bee house, and that is where the bees have been collecting water. My father-in-law placed a few pieces of old board in the water for the bees to float on, but now it seems there are too many bees congregating there. 

I suggested that they place a water container to the south of the bee house and to also empty the water container where the bees have been collecting water. Once the bees have found a constant and stable source of water, they will always go there. By having my in-laws empty the water container and turning it upside down, the bees are forced to search elsewhere. This seems to have worked as the bees have accepted the new water source.

The past two days we have received some rain and more rain is in the forecast for next week. This will be good on several fronts. Now that the vegetation has more water the blossoms will also produce more nectar. Even in the dry spell the bees have been busy drawing out comb in the honey supers. Colony 1 is the furthest along, with almost every frame in the honey super containing nectar.
I am estimating honey extraction by the end of this month.

While I wait for the right time to extract honey, I still have to check for swarm activity and drone frame production. This year I have decided to also be a bit more cautious with protective clothing. The past two years I've worked almost exclusively without protective clothing (i.e. veil and gloves). This year I decided not to tempt fate and I wear a veil and gloves. (I have been stung 7 times so far this season...not fun). I've also decided to perform swarm cell checks by using the tilt method. I will explain this in a later post.

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