I live in Manhattan Beach CA with 28 colonies of feral bees sourced from structural cutouts and swarms. They are foundationless and never treated or fed. In the Los Angeles basin we can have swarms in December and usually have drones in the hives all year 'round.
Our 7 years of drought (we had only 4 inches of rain all of last year) has been broken by good rains that began in early November, 2016. They have been well spaced and gentle most of the time, so the accumulation is now over 14 inches!! This is spectacular for the bees and deep watering for the trees. I expect many swarms this Spring as feral hives all over LA pour forth their abundance. Already, the rosemary, echiums, grevilleas, Bermuda buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae) and some eucalyptus have been blooming wildly.
Many of my colonies have been building up their broodnests since the middle of January, even with days of rain when they can't go out. Lots of drones are being raised, as well. I have started to monitor the faster ones and move frames of brood into new boxes, to create open space, so as to prevent crowding and fend off swarming. In urban LA, swarming bees from one's apiary is frowned on by the neighbors, so we have to be diligent. Also, watching how much of the box of honey above the brood nest is filled up is important to stop swarm initiation. I take out a few honey frames to open it up, too. Most of the hives are starting to lay in nectar again (though I take honey sometimes even in Winter) so taking off honey at this time is allowable.
Much of the country is still in deepest Winter, but if you are in Southern states, you will want to be monitoring the brood nest closely from now on.
Our 7 years of drought (we had only 4 inches of rain all of last year) has been broken by good rains that began in early November, 2016. They have been well spaced and gentle most of the time, so the accumulation is now over 14 inches!! This is spectacular for the bees and deep watering for the trees. I expect many swarms this Spring as feral hives all over LA pour forth their abundance. Already, the rosemary, echiums, grevilleas, Bermuda buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae) and some eucalyptus have been blooming wildly.
Many of my colonies have been building up their broodnests since the middle of January, even with days of rain when they can't go out. Lots of drones are being raised, as well. I have started to monitor the faster ones and move frames of brood into new boxes, to create open space, so as to prevent crowding and fend off swarming. In urban LA, swarming bees from one's apiary is frowned on by the neighbors, so we have to be diligent. Also, watching how much of the box of honey above the brood nest is filled up is important to stop swarm initiation. I take out a few honey frames to open it up, too. Most of the hives are starting to lay in nectar again (though I take honey sometimes even in Winter) so taking off honey at this time is allowable.
Much of the country is still in deepest Winter, but if you are in Southern states, you will want to be monitoring the brood nest closely from now on.
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