2019 Season has begun

Hello again,

sad news to start the 2019 season: I lost three of my six colonies. I think there were two factors contributing to the losses. First, and foremost, the varroa mites. I did my best to treat the bees as always, but obviously I was not successful. Having six colonies at least gave me a chance to have some colonies survive the winter, but it is still sad to lose the bees. I will create 1 or 2 nucs after the first harvest, but I do not plan to ramp up to six colonies again. Second, the weather in late January and early February was a rollercoaster ride. We had days above 8°C followed by heavy frosts at night. The bees were leaving the winter ball and were dispersing too much in the hive. I lost a lot of bees due to this. The lack of bees leads to less warmth and ultimately the colonies dies. So that's the situation.

The three colonies that survived the winter are booming right now. The beginning of April is similiar to that of last year, warm and dry. I will probably give the colonies a drone frame and a honey super this weekend.

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Swarm season

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Hotham Family Apiary

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