19/06/2026
Hive 1 — The Elsecar Swarm
A real pleasure to work with. These bees are incredibly gentle, calm on the comb, and building up beautifully. They’ve already filled the brood box and have drawn out every frame in the super. No capped honey just yet, but they’re clearly gathering well and have plenty of promise.
Hive 2 — The Bought Nuc
Now running on a double brood box, with the queen laying strongly and the colony expanding nicely. They’ve got good momentum and seem to be settling in well, although they do have a bit of attitude compared with the gentler colonies.
Hive 3 — The Difficult Nuc
This colony is productive, but definitely not friendly. They’ve been very defensive and have delivered more than a few stings during inspections. On the plus side, they’re working hard, have drawn out all the comb in the super, and are starting to fill it, although nothing is capped yet. A requeen is likely on the cards to improve temperament.
Hive 4 — The Huddersfield Road Swarm
A strong and promising swarm that has moved into its new hive well. They’re prolific, active, and already making good progress. They still have four fresh frames to draw and fill, but judging by their energy, they should make short work of it.
Nuc 1 — The Cone and Cupboard Swarm Combination
This is an interesting one. The combined colony has good numbers and access to brood, but no queen or eggs have been sighted yet. They also haven’t started making queen cells, which suggests there may well be a queen present — just keeping herself hidden for now. One to watch closely over the next inspection or two.
Overall, the apiary is looking strong: plenty of comb being drawn, brood boxes filling up, and supers starting to come into play. A few colonies are showing real promise, while Hive 3 may need a temperamen reset before it becomes enjoyable to handle.
