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| honeybee out collecting some fall pollen! |
things are changing here in new england! in 1 week we have gone from having 85 degree days to 50-60 degree days. bring on the apples, pumpkins, mums and hayrides!
yesterday, we did our fall bee inspections...all four hives are still active and bringing in pollen, which is good because they really need to stock up for the winter! i will be feeding them from now until winter...i made a more concentrated syrup than the one i feed in the spring. i also made up some grease patties, they help with treacheal mites. here is all the recipies i use for my bees...http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Beekeeping/Recipes_for_the_Bees.
there are important things to remember about winterizing your hives; ensure the colony has enough food stores; ensure the hive has proper ventilation; protect the hives from high winds ( i use ratcheting straps on all 4).
ventilation is very important...bees do not hibernate during the winter...they cluster together, with their queen in the middle. the middle of this cluster can get up to 90 degrees, so it is really important that the hive is ventilated, otherwise condensation will build up and moisten inside...the bees can tolerate the cold, but being wet will kill them!
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