Nectar flow question

[egel]

I have multiple hives in the southern Adelaide hills and the bees seem to be sruggling to find Nectar. I have had to feed them to keep them from becoming aggrsseive. How is everybody else finding the conditions this summer especially in Adelaide?

I have only seen 2 Lemon scented gums flowering this year and so far nothing from the Red Gums.

[Anybrew2]

I think the Bee's are doing it darn hard at the moment with the Drought Conditions. I have left my alone  as in I haven't robbed them for two and a half months as I don't want to leave them short.
They are bringing in very little pollen from my observations too. I have supplied them with ample water so they don't have to find it in neighbours pools.

Cheers
Steve

[egel]

Seems like the problem is Australia wide. I have done some reading on the net and many people are experiencing a bad year. Lets hope it improves. This is my first year of beekeeping so I have nothing to compare it with hence my question. My uncle who is my mentor has provided me with some cappings from a small honey harvest from another area and I am currently feeding the bees with this.

[Anybrew2]

Um,bee careful with feeding back cappings or anything from someone else's hives mate. Disease risk is high.

Cheers
Steve

[dermot]

It's not totally Australia wide. In Canberra we're having trouble keeping up with the extracting. I do a lot of cut-outs and re-homing of bees from possum/bird boxes and the difference between this year and last is stark. The struggle the bees had last year Is completely different to the flood of honey that's been coming in this year. I removed 2 hives from the walls of a house 2 weeks ago along with 80 kg's of honeycomb. The last bird box I took down weighed 18 kg's and had very little room left inside for brood. 2 hives I extracted at a friend's house on new years eve were ready to be extracted again on my next visit in mid January.

    I don't know why this season has been so good compared to last, as the weather has been pretty similar to last year

[yantabulla]

Egel, 

Please don't feed honey to your bees.  It's a great way to spread AFB.

Yanta

[egel]

Thanks for the warning re the disease risk, but these hives were a split from the same hive the cappings have been taken from.

[yantabulla]

Cappings were from another area. 

[yantabulla]

I'm sick of getting AFB in my bees.  I have had two loads of gear up to Redcliffe to get irradiated.  I have a very robust barrier system in place.  Feeding honey to bees spreads AFB.  No wonder I drink.

[Anybrew2]

I feel ya pain Yanta,AFB is bad bad news.

Cheers
steve