The Bees are "Bearding" in front of the hive

In summer time the inside of the hive can become too hot and too much CO2 because of the growing population and too much humidity due to honey production. So to cool the hive, reduce humidity and lower the CO2 levels the bees fan with their wings and many others simply exit the hive and hang around the entrance until the hive atmosphere reaches the desired levels again. Then they get back into the hive.
This "bearding" is easily mistaken for swarming. When bees swarm they literally RUSH out of the hive in HORDES :) as if the hive is on fire, clouds of bees flying all over the place until they settle near by on a tree branch or else. During "bearding one can always note a few bees fanning with their wings infront of the entrance to help with ventilation.

I spoke to my local bee inspector today about when its the right time to do splits and he said I can do it now because the Dandelions, Maples, Cherries, Sloe are blooming heavily. Even the Apples are starting to bloom now. So I decided to do the splits tomorrow.
Stay tuned!

Dandelion bonanza and a pleasant surprize

The Dandelions are exploding into bright yellow flowers all over the landscape :) so nice to see them. This is the time when bees start swarm preparations and by the time the Apples start blooming the swarm might leave the hive ... if the weather is sunny and warm that is, because on rainy cold days flowers don't produce much nectar. Today was 24'C ! Nice and warm but with some strong south wind.

Bailey running through the flowering filed

 Buckfast Bees drowning in pollen and nectar :)

 "Please get me out of here! Too much nectar and pollen, aaaaa!" :)

 Of course no one can imagine this bonanza without the fat'n'hairy Bumble Bee ;D

And now about the pleasant surprize :) look what I've found in the field :) ...

 ... a totally black bee ...

 ... very black indeed ...

 ... I had to look many times before I dared to whisper ...

... Black Nordic Bee :)) 

Since all beekeepers here exclusively keep Buckfast which has yellow and black rings on the abdomen Im assuming that this bee comes from a feral colony which came down South from the colder parts of Sweden. Or, could this bee be a Buckfast Bee with anomalie? I have seen old Buckfast bees turning black but not totally, rather only the bottom part of the abdomen which is not the case in this entirely black bee.

I have set up 5 bait hives in hope to catch swarms. Lets see if this colony moves into Che Guebee Apiary :) I honestly wish they do :)

Top Bar Hive Inspection day 2

I have inspected the second top bar hive colony today and here is a short video about it;

Nectar is flowing

The nature is booming with blooming :) Bees have lots to do around here!

 Sloe and Cherry is blooming heavily

 Dandelions have just begun

 Maple trees are buzzing loudly from all the Honey Bees and Bumble Bees

 Anemones 

 Not sure what this one is but the leaves look a bit like Comfrey

Red Currant blooming and Gooseberries too

 I bought two Fuchsia plants which bees adore

I also bought two Scented Pelargonium which smell of citrus, just like Lemongrass. I wonder if one can use these leaves as a swarm lure ... I have seen a few bees resting on its leaf.

Swarming on the way

Yes! Swarming season is around the corner and now is no time to sleep since my bees will swarm any day now ... or in a week the most I feel.
I inspected one hive today and found a few Queen Cups which are polished and they have started to frost them at the ends. Sure swarming sign!

 Here is one Queen Cup being polished by one bee from the inside

 A few bees are working this one cup

 Queen Cells usually point downwards. This cell points sideways so Im guessing its a drone cell.

 Look who came to check the queen cup :) her Majesty the Queen :) You can see in this photo one of her wings being clipped. I mentioned this before but I am against this brutal technique no matter what conventional beeks might say. Its far from natural thats for sure.

This hive is boiling with bees. Im sure its will swarm very soon. I must make a split before they do so to increase my colonies. I will inspect the other hive tomorrow because it started being windy today.

Local Beekeeping Group Hästveda

I visited my local beekeeping group in Hästveda and even became a member :) Fine people but all are into conventional beekeeping so many things I can not apply in my natural top bar beekeeping. But I did learn from the bee inspector (who sold me the 2 colonies I now keep) how to check for disease. He told me to always open capped cells which are on their own and see if inside is a dark jelly-like liquid. That would be American Foulbrood. This is a good lesson learned indeed.

 The local beekeeping inspector inspecting hives, those in suits are beginners, including me.

 Most beekeepers here cull drones for Varroa control and Varroa counting. I am against this, in my opinion, brutal technique. My bees are allowed to have as many Drones as they wish, Varroa or no Varroa. Bees have raised Drones for more than 40 million years, I'm sure they have a good reason for having so many Drones.

 All beekeepers in this group treat every year with Oxalic Acid for Varroa control. I still didnt decide if Im going to treat or not. I'm most definitely not going to treat every year but most likely only if I notice "deformed wing virus" which which comes from Varroa.

Checking the brood pattern  ....

 ... which is very spotty. Not a great sign.

 the huge hive is the traditional swedsih hive called Trågkupa. It is a horizontal hive with frames.

 This too is a Trågkupa which they use for splits.

Peters Stuga is where this local group meets. They have a group's apiary there for raising Queens which are then sold very cheap to the members.

At the top bar hives entrance

The bees are being very busy for the last few days. Even today when it was grey and cloudy. The Maple trees are blooming like mad and the Dandelions and Cherries are blooming too. As well as Sloe and Horse Chestnut :) Lots of pollen and nectar coming in! Short video showing how busy they are :)