March has been rather an easy month for me. Surprisingly we picked up two very late swarms. During the month there was quite a late flow on and many hives superseded their queens. Seems instead of just superseding, a few hives were stimulated enough to swarm. Normally at this time of the year these swarms are of little value, as they have to be fed during the winter and need a new queen. However following perhaps the worst production summer ever, they have been put to good use. One was given away to re-establish another beekeepers hive that failed to produce a mated queen after it swarmed and the other was put in a 4 frame nuc box with two frames of honey. They should survive the winter (with the addition of another two honey frames) and will be used as replacement stock in the spring.

This nuc was placed in the garden for a few days to settle down and allow the queen to mate before being moved to an apiary. Bees are fascinating and you can generally get an indication of what's going on by studying the bees on the flight board. As I was observing bees with pollen coming in, I noticed a commotion below the hives. Ants were out everywhere, climbing up grass and over the bricks at the edge of the garden. Within a few minutes I had worked out what was going on. All the ants were getting rid of the spiders and other insects around the nest while other were driving queen ants from the colony. Seems the workers control the activities of the nest just like bees do in the hive.

While picking up a swarm I noticed bees working something I wouldn't have considered a nectar source - Totara berries. The bees haven't got the mouthparts to puncher these berries but where they have been damaged at the base of the tree by children and animals, the bees were all over the fallen fruit. I always thought that these trees had no uses in beekeeping but we live and learn.

I have been checking hives recently and some of those that had the crop removed early have expanded during the last month and are now short of stored honey. If you are in this situation, feed sugar syrup (as thick as you can make it) so the hives have at least a super of honey. Indications are that it could be another warm winter, which means some hives will continue brood rearing. This uses honey stores quicker than normal so watch the weight of the hive. These hives will need checking in August to see they still have enough food to last through to the first flow in October.

Hives should now be set up for winter. Close down the entrance if you haven't already done so to prevent mice from entering. Make sure the foundation is OK and that the hives slope forward slightly to allow water to run off. Clear away any grass around the hive so there is airflow underneath. Lift the lid a little by putting a match under each corner to give top ventilation.

Now that robbing has finished and drones are being tossed out, do a final brood inspection to make sure the hive is free of AFB. Also remove or replace and broken frames or rotten woodware. Any broken frames with brood or honey should be moved towards the outer edges of the super so they can be changed in the spring.

Finally check that stored supers are free of wax moth. Store in a cool airy place or you can use PBD crystal. Place a tablespoon on a piece of paper on top of a stack of supers and cover. Make sure all cracks are sealed with paper or tape so that the gas is held in the super long enough to kill the wax moth larva. Repeat in a month because this doesn't kill their eggs.

Are spiders useful to the bee-keeper? Most of the time we consider these predators of bees and other insects but I noticed something rather unusual when cleaning up a bait hive. It had two very large wolf spiders in it and I let one go in the garden after I came across it. Then I noticed something unusual with the frames. Wax moth quickly get into exposed frames and start chewing them up. However this super had all the silk wax moth channels opened up. Seems these spiders had dug down through the wax and had been excavating the moth larva before they could do a lot of damage. In the whole super there was only one wax moth larvae and that was under a frame where the spiders couldn't get at it. When I discovered the second spider, I put this one into a stack of supers to carry on the good work. (see photo above).

Ever wonder what these large dragon-flies eat? Larger insects that are caught on the wing. I photographed one eating a drone (shown above).

Pauatahanui Varroa Controlled Area. I have removed the strips from the hives in the area but it looks like AgriQuality will not be recom-mending the lifting the Movement Control Restrictions until spring when further tests will be undertaken to prove the area is free of varroa. Everything is looking positive for this but in the mean time, if you hear of any feral hives in the area, arrange to get then killed or sealed into the cavity.