I don’t know if the combs in the super are set correctly for the bees to join up and fill. Will I be able to see if I take them out individually? Should I reinsert the key and try to turn it if they are not ‘right’ - is it really obvious when they are set correctly??
Springa
Once you know what you’re looking for it’s obvious. Until then, possibly not. So you’ve asked a good question! I’ve responded to another post/question a moment ago for you so I won’t repeat that here.
When you turn the key to set the frame did you turn it in a couple of positions in the slot (i.e. each side)? Some folks have found that if you don’t do that a frame might not always set correctly across its entirety.
I just turned it about a quarter turn in one direction I think. until it clicked into place. Or so I thought.
Try doing that 2 or 3 times, each time moving the key a little. That reduces some of the reset issues people have had
April 14How did your inspection go this weekend?
discovered the frames are too far apart and I don’t know whether to leave it or fix it. I’m leaving it for now.
I would fix it ASAP. Just scrape it off with a hive tool. If you leave it, it will get much harder to fix over time. Then when you try to pull that frame or an adjacent one out, the bulging comb will likely scrape and damage the comb on the frame next to it.
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Anyone that lives NoR should consider taking a look at this and popping along for a visit:
http://www.wanneroo.wa.gov.au/events/event/442/busy_bees_at_wanneroo_regional_museum
- Date: 13th April 2019 - 28th April 2019
- Every day
- Location: Wanneroo Museum, Wanneroo Library and Cultural Centre, 3 Rocca Way, Wanneroo
- Cost: Free
Join us for some unbee-lievable kid’s activities at the Wanneroo Regional Museum this April School Holidays.
Museum opening hours
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 10:00am - 4:00pm
- Thursday 10:00am - 5:00pm
- Saturday 12:00pm - 4:00pm
- Sunday closed
- Public holidays - closed
What can honey be used for? What does beeswax smell like? How do bees help the environment? Visit the museum to find out the answers to these questions and more!
With a series of bee themed activity stations to captivate curious minds, such as crafting your own busy bee, dressing up as a beekeeper or playing with some beeswax.
Wanneroo Regional Museum is where the buzz is this April School Holidays!
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Thanks Snowy I’ll be taking the kids to that for sure. 
Just got the latest beeinformed magazine. Some interesting articles, worst honey season throughout Aus, Tassie and SA especially with huge colony losses. No jarrah crop and minimal marri, and where it did flower there was no nectar, I feel lucky getting a couple of harvests. Once again it was only 2 of the colonys with excess and none of my locally caught ones have any excess to harvest but are strong never the less.
Marri has peaked but there are other gums beginning to flower so will leave the supers on for the next few weeks in hope but will be removing the supers this year, wsp’s have plenty of honey and I’m still seeing mass orientation flights so maybe they know something I don’t… Infact I’m sure they know many things I don’t. 
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The last two years actually haven’t been that great for honey. Three years ago was good though. We live in hope…
It really is amazing how varied our sub-climates are here in the Greater Metropolitan Perth Region.
Here on the western side of the southeast scarp, the girls have done reasonably well. The recent flow has not been a bumper crop, however, it did allow me to harvest the two flow frames I had previously left from the pre-Christmas flow. The girls in the flow hive have built up more than sufficient new stores in the other four flow frames to see them through the winter.
The girls in the horizontal hive may need some help a little later in the year, however, if this winter is as good as last winter they will get through without any help from me.
If worse comes to worst there are sufficient stores in the vertical hive and I can swap a flow frame from the vertical hive into the horizontal hive to see them through until the spring flow.
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All quiet on the Western front.
How good is this weather!
@SouthEastScarp, Remember when you dropped off your box you commented on how there were some buds on the gum tree beside the driveway? Well it’s taken it’s time and is only now starting to flower! Everything seems to be holding off and the result is extra bushy flowers.
With rain on its way it’s time for the rest of the supers to come off.
It seems to have taken forever for them to flower, one of the gums in the back yard is budding up and looks like it will reflower. The one week winter seems to have everyone confused, especially the flora, we have spring and summer flowering plants in the garden getting all excited and starting to flower as well. Winter will have to hit eventually.
With all the wattle flowering around us, the girls in the flow-hive are starting to store some pollen up in the flow frames, so I will leave them on again this winter to ensure they have good stores to hand when the rain eventually comes. The girls in the long hive are still behind but seem strong enough to be in a good position when winter eventually arrives, if it wasn’t such a pain to move them I would take them down into town where there appears to be massive flowering of just about everything.
I envy you guys in the big smoke. A couple of zero days down here at Bridgetown AKA Fridgetown and I lost my FH2. FHI still appears to be going strong but I’m feeding them when I’m down here. Almost total absence of blossom on marris but a few wattle keeping them going. have ordered my nuc for spring, hopefully a better summer coming up!
I have some wattles around me in flower now. A few Calothamnus are also starting to flower. Not much else here on the boundary of John Forrest NP.
I have a small loquat which is in flower and my plan is to plant some flowering plants to have a better supply all year round. Started with a Rosemary hedge.
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My scales tell me my hive with better breeding is putting on 600-1000g per week and my swarm hive is doing 200-500g a week. This has been the picture for the last 4-5 weeks in Bunbury.
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I know right! I’m guessing 6 months. Weird. The lemon scented gums are doing the same. I’m sure I should have flowers on my citrus by now too but this year they barely budded so the fruit fly and 28’s will go hungry.
Another observation is that some red and white tail Cocky’s are in my monster olive tree eating olives which I have never seen before. Must be something to do with the lack of honkeys this year.
Hiya @AdamMaskew, are you saying there’s a bit of a flow happening down Bunno way?
Yes in my semi-urban patch. Not sure what but there are some gravelia, red caps, Hakea and gardens. I’m about 50:50 bush and urban in the foraging range. Last year my neighbours convinced me they could not grow anything as I didn’t get much in autumn/winter. They must have heard me and lifted their game or it is just the weird season we are having.
In Busso.
Luckily my Winter “maintenance” trees are flowering on time. There are a few E. leucoxylon, citradora,siderloxylon and grandis flowering. Not many but certainly enough to keep 2 hives strong.
I also spotted the first Jarrah in flower yesterday. We, the district that is, have a variety which starts in around June (in lieu of November) so that’s good. Lots of wattles flowering for pollen.
Did not take any honey this year but I am confident the hives are in great shape for Winter and there will be enough around not to have to feed.
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You need a ute with one of those crane thingies on the back. And before you ask, NO,
you cannot borrow my bee house crane.
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Anyone knows a beekeeping course around Perth? I checked WAAS, but none on the radar.
I did a course in 2015 as soon as I ordered the Flow Hive on the crowdsource campaign… but the hive took months to arrive, then a couple of years for me to acquire a nuc and actually set it up… and by that time I forgot everything.
Now that I have some experience, I’m pretty sure I can make much more sense of a beekeeping course than when I took the course back then.