Here we are in August!!!! It has been another very busy, fast month.
Educations has been a part of my summer, not only in the apiary, but also in the form of conferences and classes. I attended the North Carolina Summer Conference in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. The coolness of the higher elevation was very welcoming. At this conference I soaked up the knowledge that was shared by Dr. Thomas Seeley. His research, going all the way back to the 1970’s is fascinating to me.
I also attended a day class held by one of the local bee clubs in the area. Kim Flottum was the guest speaker at this event. Not only was the day filled with new knowledge from this speaker, but it also gave me an opportunity to converse with like minded Beekeepers.
Even though I find it important to continually learn new things about beekeeping, it still comes down to the bottom line…..
ARE MY BEES HEALTHY??
I can say, Yes, to that question. From the wonderful nectar flow of spring, to the harvesting of a small amount of honey and now to the nectar flow of the fall, the bees in my apiary are looking healthy and building up brood for the coming colder days of winter.
Also an update on my newest hive “Big Mama Sunflower”. It is packed with bees. I spotted the queen a few weeks ago. She is very large and looking very healthy. She is filling the frames up with eggs and the worker bees are doing their job of feeding the eggs & larvae. I am very happy with this hive and the bees seem to be happy with it too!!
In the coming months, I will be continuing to monitor their food stores, to make sure that they have enough to carry them through winter. It would be great if it would rain a bit. The Summer has been very dry.
The hives that are not insulated will get an layer of insulation to keep them warm and cozy.
I will leave you this month with some pictures of the late season plants that the bees find tasty.
Honey Bee on Swamp Sunflower
