Bed Time.
After a rather fabulous dinner out with friends we returned to check the feeder in the hive. Amazingly it was empty again. We went down the garden and this time I didn't bother with a bee suit. Bob took the torch and I in a short linen dress and my younger son in flannel pajama bottoms and a tee shirt watched as the bees arrived to sup at the slowly dripped thyme syrup. There is something tremendously satisfying about feeding an entire colony when you know they have been so busy during the day.
Will you always need to feed them sugar syrup? Or is it just while they get set up?
ReplyDeleteCaz xx
They have stores in the hive but every year you have to provide additional feed at the end of the season and at the beginning. I want to find out whether it is possible to leave more of the honey for them over winter. Currently they have quite good autumn stores but because it's quite a strong colony and I want them to do well over winter I'll feed them during the colder days up to about the 1st week of october.
ReplyDeleteReally, the answer is I don't yet know. I think you have to do it every year to ensure the colony survives if it's a very cold winter.
ReplyDelete