Time for the Bees to Take a Break and the Beekeeper Too!!!!
I am Grateful for my Honey Bees and all the things that I have learned from them. I am also Grateful for those that I have met on this fabulous journey. For those that have taught me and those that I have taught. I pray that we see positive change in the coming year. Change to uplift nature and the planet that we call home. I pray that I continue to be of benefit to our Mother Earth by being on the side of nature.
I have one last task to do before my Bees are tucked in for the winter. I have fed the bees all through October and November. Many were very light on food due to the horrible forage year and loss of bees.
My last chore – once the bees are fed to compacity, will be to wrap them with an insulation wrap, strap them down and prepare them for the winter to come.
I have chosen to run solid bottom boards and the smallest of entrances all year. I see no need to open the entry up wide as the bees really do not like it that wide. It makes it harder for them to guard the entrance from intruders. It also gives the bees the ability to close the opening as small as they need to in times of robbing or cold weather. There is no large amount of forage coming in at this time, so they only need enough space to get their body through the opening. Solid bottom boards are a choice. Neither is better than the other. Screened bottom boards will give the hive more ventilation in the hot summer months, but is not really necessary.
To wrap my bees, I use a wrap that I buy from a Bee Supplier. I found it a few years ago and it is easy to wrap the hive to insulate it and secure it, and it did not cost me an arm and a leg to purchase. The price of beekeeping equipment has gotten out of control. The stuff is not made of gold, yet some bee suppliers think so. I’m sure that their cost of things has gone up too……just like everything.
Once the wraps are in place and the hives are strapped up for whatever weather we might encounter, my job for the year is done. I hear that it is going to be a cold one this winter. So much for global warming!!! That concept is truly a CROCK!!!
In my feeding process and cleaning up, I melted some crystalized honey from several containers and buckets and fed it back to the bees. I think that they are done with the sugar syrup that I gave them, but real honey is always their first “go to”. They never resist!!!
So to end my blog this month, I will leave you with pictures of the feeding. I always love watching them, but not getting too close as they are seriously trying to harvest the honey as fast as they can!!!
We are nearing another year coming to a close. It has been a challenging year, but I’ve had those in previous years. My hopes, wishes and prayers is for next year to be better for the Bees and Me. I truly Love this Hobby and Love introducing other to this fantastical part of the circle of life.
NAMASTE’
