Bedding Down

This is the time of year we prepare the bees for winter- we have been feeding the bees with sugar syrup prior to treating for Varroa mite so the bees stand a good chance of coming through the winter as a strong colony. It is reccommended that a colony has about 60 lbs of stores to survive the winter, although we can feed with fondant during the winter if necessary, it is best to have a good amount of strores to set out with. After putting  the varroa floor in the hive we have monitored the drop for the past few weeks- the weekly count has been about 20- apparently not too bad for this time of year. Nevertheless we will be putting Apiguard on at the next check to get rid of some of the mites before evrything settles down for winter.

Where do they go?

We have planted our garden with a range of plants that are insect friendly- at different times of the year they provide nectar and pollen. So, at the top of the garden live our bees- the garden is full of butterflies, bumble bees ,hover flies and other ,mostly welcome insects. But hardly ever have we seen honey bees foraging around the garden, just the odd one on the buddlea or golden rod. So where do they go? Maybe the answer as Rob (picture courtesy of sustainablegarden.blogspot.com) suggests is the allotment. The borage, lavender and other herbs have recently been visited by honeybees in abundance-in theory the distance is within range; so maybe this is where they are doing their good work!!