Ah go on. Another 300km South and you can stay overnight with us.
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@Dawn_SD to help give a boost to the invite from @busso I can assure you these bees arenāt Africanised! Thereās also a room just north of the city of you need a nap before driving 
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The swarm has moved on. If anyone did want it send me a private message and if I hear of where it set up home (most likely in an unwanted spot) Iāll let you know
Buxxer no @Dawn_SD down under this year.
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Iām seeing scouts on the hunt at the moment. Iāve done 3 splits already and Iām seeing excessive bearding on the āswarm at the drop of a hatā formerly known as the pot colony which was split less than a month ago.
Like Snowy I donāt want more colonies, sometimes having a near pristine bee environment can be a curse!
Iāll be checking the splits today before they go to the sale yards.
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Finally! First harvest this season. 5.5kg from the hybrid super. Iāll install the full flow super in a week or two as the colony strength seems good and the nights continue to warm.
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Eucalyptus marginata is in flower.
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Same same, my 1st harvest of the season has seen great output from 7 frames, extracted about 10kg already
And caught a swarm saturday morning as i was about to mow some lawns
The swam flew straight thru us, when they settled in a secwa inspection pit, quickly put the suit on and placed a nuc box with some stickies close by
4 hrs later Ms Queen had reversed her backside back into the box and now sitting in my backyard
Going into the 2nd hive this saturday as the middle box is full and the flowhive is 1/2 to 2/3rds the way there
looks like a better flow this season, honey is darkish in colour but not super dark
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Extraction day. Last year late December was my earliest extraction in the season.
All my honey has crystallised during winter and am surprised at the number of people who arenāt interested in it, itās my favourite fortunately, only a couple of buckets to consumeā¦
How was your harvest?
Iāve become accustomed to crystallised honey but I"ve noticed I prefer a finer crystal. The coarser it is the more I feel like Iām chewing sandā¦
Hiya Snowy, all went well, we only drained one of the hybrids. It has a flavour unlike any of the previous honeys. This super was left on over winter and had mould in the end of the frames but the bees must have waxed over it as they had filled the cells. It has a distinct citrus flavour and aroma. (The honey not the mouldā¦)
The std frames were removed the previous weekend and have been crushed and strained, really dark coloured and these were on all winter also, unlike all my bucket honey they had not crystalized. The new frames were half drawn in a week.
Next weekend, weather permitting, Iāll be extracting the other over wintered hybrid and adding supers to another 2 hives.
All the splits are beginning to burst so really need to move them on.
Where have all the other sandgropers gone?
I havenāt bothered with crush and strain this year but last year I noticed the crush and strain was much darker than the frame harvest, both having come from over winter.
Where have all the other sandgropers gone?
Iāve been wondering the same thing over the last couple of months.
Nice photo btw.
Yeah still here Skegs.
Never get much till the Marri flowers. I am very surprised because there is plenty of blossom about.
Think I have āgood time girlsā. They seem to eat, drink and be merry until February, then they get to work and will fill a flow super in less three weeks.
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Blockquote Where have all the other sandgropers gone?
Quietā¦ we are watching our bees work 
Hi there guys.
Can anyone tell me whatās going on here. Requeened in March with end of season purchased Queen. Seems we have a Queen miss firing or new queen having problems. Swarm cells everywhere. Ignore the half drawn frame.
Was put in about 4 weeks ago but the brood spread is typical. Some frames have even more brood.
No multiple eggs in cells. Found Queen. Seemed small.
Suggestionsā¦as to what this is and suggestions on what to do?
Hiya Bec, I see drone cells and brood but no swarm cells. Have you shaken the bees off those frames?
Is your hive in full sun?
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@BecW I agree with @skeggley. I canāt see Queen cells. Is there something youāve seen that isnāt in the photos or that you could perhaps highlight?
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Not in full sun. There is a swarm cell in the middle just a bit hard to see. Iām concerned with the patterning of brood. So many drones mixed into brood. No frame has brood that is notorious about 50:50 drone to normal.
Iāll see if I can download a better picture.
