Seven of us, including Jim and Don, had a busy morning on this cool and overcast day at Fulmer. Ambitions were high. All honey had been harvested before and the supers were already gone. Queen excluders were removed and all the crown boards opened up for ventilation. The food reserves and brood patters were assessed in all hives. Jim showed us the way and then we all got stuck in. Queens were spotted - eventually.
By hefting the brood boxes and the often angry response when we opened them up - all the hives desperately needed feeding (down to only 1-3 frames of honey reserves!). Most hives were down to 2-4 frames with brood. Feeders were installed ready for Jim to fill with heavy syrup – it looks like quite a few refills will be needed before all the broods are well stocked with stores for the winter.