"Chobbling" away

Checked the fondant today on all my hives; many had the bees "chobbling" away and a few colonies needed more! A sure sign of how poor summer was ( I took no honey off any hive after the Rape this year). The pleasing sign was the way many reared their stings up at me as I peeked to check the fondant (a real "thanks for checking but clear off !" from the bees) .

Autumn

Autumn is really here and the colour of the trees is a beautiful spectacle.In the autumn sunshine the hives are busy, vital pollen abounds as bees return waddling into the hive. A sight to behold!

Natural Beekeeping

It was good to read in BeeCraft about the Natural Beekeeping Convention. What a shame that to date my local branch and County seem afraid (and ignorant) of trying this approach.

Ivy

Apiguard treatments complete and every hive has food; it was so sad to close the gates on sites knowing that is it, season over! To a large extent all is in the hands of Mother Nature now until Spring (6 months away!! Ugh!). As I drove along though I did notice a most distinctive smell - Ivy in bloom!

Ivy....Last Hope?

Stuck in a queue of traffic coming home from work tonight, I noticed some Ivy draped over a wall, laden with buds - A last chance for the bees to stock up from natural sources. Lets hope it yields well to help the "girlies" through winter.

Winter and the Helpless Feeling

I am well under way to wintering the bees and this time of year fills me with trepidation and sadness. A real sense of  "you are on your own" now ladies, nothing more I know to do. All down to nature!? Well that makes me more worried as the "summer" was so awful having to feed the bees and queens not getting mated: and of the queens that did mate, how well did they mate?- Will hives come out of winter with no brood or drone brood? If there is a hope then it is that some colonies did seem to thrive despite the bad weather and this could be related to my recent investigations. Only time will tell.

Sedum

As I pulled onto the drive at home tonight I was drawn to the Sedum planted in the front border, alive with my bees busy working the flowers as the little buds opened.