Cold early winter in the apiary

Well, I spoke to soon about the mild autumn....it is now the beginning of December and we have had 2 weeks of snow. Our open day in the apiary saw adopt a bee hive members venture throught the snow in their wellies, coats and hats to see the hives. The bees were all tucked up keeping warm They do not actually hibernate, but cluster in a ball together to keep war. A bit like the artic penguins..they move from the outside inwards and chance places to keep warm. In this cold weather they use up their winter stores of honey.
In the apiary I have covered some of the hives with wire to stop the winter pecking of the woodpeckers - they get hungry, can smell the honey and literally peck through the woodden hives to get to the food. This can be a disaster as damp then gets in, the bees can them die.
There has also been evidence of nibbling on the fron entrances - probably mice. This happened last year - who can blame them looking for somewhere to shelter and a supply of honey too. But they can devour the bees winter supplies and cause alot of destruction in the hive. So I must now alos put on the metal mouse guards. This can be tricky whilst there is snow on the ground. The bright light/reflection can make the bees inside think it is a sunny day, the then decide to come out and fly but get chilled and die. So I will have to wait until it has all cleared....soon I hope.

Mild Autumn in the apiary

The bees are all tucked up for winter - well that's what I thought....with the very mild weather I have checked the bees daily, and they are still flying around taking in pollen. Looking around the garden there is very little for them to forage on - ivy seems to be the main provider. Not sure how much energy they are using to have a play around, thinking it is spring again I guess. With the high wind I have not opened up the hives...they hate the wind and can get quite ratty!
So I have been busy looking into running Begineers Bee-Keeping courses with another local experienced bee-keeper Sharon. Between us we have the right skills and experience to provide a really informative, fun and practical course. So if you want to know more get in touch!
angie@lime-tree-trading.co.uk

Bee Swarms

These are pictures of a wild swarm of bees that took up home in an spare bee hive! We successfully let them naturally work their way up onto frames and foundation. The pictures show how beautiful natural homecomb is - a work of art.