AGREEING to run a Nucleus Creation Workshop for the SBA seemed a good idea in the depths of winter, but, the late spring we have all endured meant is was more challenging than usual and has added a few grey hairs to the few I still have left! The obvious point to be made is that colonies haven't built up as quickly as usual, so much so that the other two workshops, planned on the same date, at Newbattle and Edinburgh have been postponed until the end of June. But up here in the Scottish Riviera of Moray, we are blessed with a much kinder climate and although we also had a late spring, with some stimulative feeding of 1:1 sugar syrup I was able to help three of my over-wintered double brood box colonies, in Smith hives, build up to an acceptable strength of at least eight frames of brood a fortnight before the course date.
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