Bikes and Bees

I needed to be up early today, as the BMW was booked in for its annual service at Motorrad, Cheltenham.

I had set an alarm for six o'clock this morning, but that was redundant, as I was wide awake just before five! I hauled my arse out of bed, breakfasted, completed my ablutions and early morning chores, before wheeling the R1250 R out of the garage.

I was on the road by quarter to eight and took the most direct route down the M5. I managed to hit rush hour traffic in both Worcester and Cheltenham, which gave me a chance to practice my filtering skills.

I arrived in Cheltenham just before quarter to nine, and soon had my bike booked in. I then settled in a comfy armchair, after helping myself to a large coffee and a couple of free biscuits.  I had booked a waiting appointment, so I spent the morning with my head in a paperback.  The bike was ready just before eleven o'clock, and I was back home well before midday.

I arrived home absolutely shattered and I was bloody freezing. 30% served a warming bowl of homemade oxtail soup for lunch, and I then lit a fire and slept in front of  it for the next hour.

I woke sufficiently thawed and sufficiently refreshed to head up to the orchard to check on the bees. 

I have decided that the hives with laying workers (#2 & #3) are lost causes and I will let those colonies dwindle and expire over the next few weeks.

There is still hope for hive #1. I introduced a frame of eggs and brood last week, and this week's inspection showed that the workers have produced a number of capped queen cells.  I will now leave this colony for at least a month to see if they manage to successfully raise a new queen ... fingers crossed.

The queen-right hives (#4, #5 & #6) are all doing well. A super was added to hive #6, so all three colonies now comprise a brood box and a single super.

I plan to give each of these colonies more space by moving a honey filled super over from hives #1, #2 and #3.  I made preparations for this reconfiguration, by adding clearer boards to these hives. Hopefully the bees will move down from the super overnight, and I will be able to move them tomorrow.

So that just about completes today's Journal entry. I will add that I did check the traps in the store room this morning, and I had caught yet another rodent.