Due to other commitments on Sunday, I didn’t get along to the Apiary session with everyone else, and went on Monday instead, mainly just to check them over, change over their Verroa treatment, and feed both hives. I only made up 2 litres this time – the bees are still happily collecting pollen, but we stole a Super from one, and the other is still a very new colony, so making sure they’ll get through the Winter starts with making sure they have enough food. Above is the feeder on top of the newer colony, with about a litre of syrup in it. This is one pound of sugar to one litre of water, which is just what works for me. You can see the climbing wall behind the plastic on the left – sand rubbed onto the fresh paint to make sure the bees could climb down to the water surface without falling in.
I also replaced the ApiGuard on the first hive with a second one, squishing it flat between the Brood box and the Super, under the queen excluder. They’d completely emptied the first, dragging the smelly stuff out the entrance, smearing it everywhere as they went. The Verroa fall on the tray at the bottom was high, so it worked. I’d lost the tray for the second hive, so didn’t put an ApiGuard in there last week, but the new one arrived by post during the week, so that went in, and the first treatment went into the second hive. Shown on the right above, with the lid off, and the feeder just filled.
Both hives seemed happy and healthy, so I left them alone, other than a quick look through. Less laying this week, more stores in the cells in the brood box – they’re really getting ready for winter.
Other than that, I got my honey back from Simon this week, after he put it through his Warmer, to help clear it. Most of the wax has now risen to the top, but as I picked hexagonal jars with twist lids, he wasn’t sure of the water-tightness of them, and did them on top of his, with the lids above the water line, just to be sure. Thanks for doing that, mate =O)
I got about 36 jars total. Here are two, and one of the squeezy teddies we got from the Spring Show earlier in the year. Now we just need to make up some better labels. And yes, I did run out of honey before the bear was quite full =O(
