You do the best you can in winter but you never really know what is going to happen so it is left up to fate as to what will happen.
So I was getting a little worried...I had been up to the hives a few times and seen no activity at all even on those milder days....I had listened and heard nothing...I had given a good slap on the side of the hives....and still nothing so I was thinking that maybe, for one reason or another (of which I would not be able to determine until the warmer weather had come) that the colonies had died over the winter.
This was my assumption but not certainty so I wouldn't risk going into the hives just in case as I would have to go down to the brood chamber to really determine what had gone wrong and then if there was nothing wrong the cold could kill the colony.
So here I was worrying but without being able to do anything about it!!
Anyway last Wednesday a lovely sunny day arrived with very little wind so I decided I would yet again go and take a look at the hives. I'm sure you can imagine my delight when I found this....
Happy bees in the sun |
And then this.....
Bees flying in the weak winter sun. |
So that is the two poly hives...the wooden one I was still worried about....no activity at all and with a few taps no humming. With the weather being quite warm I decided a quick look into the top box wouldn't do them any harm and when I opened the lids I found................a lovely cluster of bees eating the honey out of the top brood frame....WHAT A RELIEF!!!!!
No pics of the wooden hive as it is very quick in and out and they aren't totally out fo the woods as a colony yet for reasons I will explain in a later post but at least there is a good size cluster so I am very pleased.
As we've has a few warm days and there isn't much about for the bees to collect I gave them all some food which this time of year is fondant and then left them to go about there business.
I am really glad I got this done when I did a the very next day the weather took a turn for the worst again and there has not been a chance since when I could have got into the hives.
Point of interest...this time of year when the bees can't get out much then you give them feed in the form of fondant. this is food that they do not have to process and can eat immediately which means they do not need to go on any cleansing flights so it doesn't matter if they can't get out as they aren't messing up the hive.
So we are all happy here....and I managed to get two post done in less that a week...and I have yet more stuff to tell you so I may be back in the next couple of days!!
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