The incredible weather so far this spring makes it very difficult to give firm advice for May. Colonies - and crops - are certainly much further forward in April than I have seen them in 21 years of beekeeping. In past years, I used to consider that a colony with 7 frames of brood at the beginning of May would do well, but this year virtually all colonies are wall to wall with brood already - even those on double brood boxes - and many had several supers of honey by the third week in April. One colony has so many bees that I put on a sixth super! Many crops are flowering 3 weeks early. Much will now depend on the weather over the coming weeks.

If the current cold, wet spell gives way to fine weather then we look certain to have a very good spring. The rape is by no means over, and field beans and hawthorn are just coming into flower. There are very large quantities of beans around the area this year. There may well be a spate of early swarms - there have been some already - or we may find that any cells will be torn down as the bees return to work.

If the weather stays cold and wet, then much of what has been gathered will be eaten and the rape honey will granulate. The large colonies, confined to their hives, may well produce queen cells and swarms will then issue as soon as we get a bright spell.

The best advice that I can give is:

Peter Edwards 29/04/2002