In the Apiary - October '00 to January '01

Week Ending 27the January 2001:

Not a lot to say for this week. Some of the hives were flying on Thursday but there would have not been anything for them to forage. Never the less, the queens should be laying now every time we get a warm day.

The bulbs are just beginning to show their heads above ground presaging some warmer weather and some future pollen sources. Only another centimetre or two and their appearance will really put the feeling of spring into the garden.

Week Ending 20th January 2001:

Once again the weather has turned cold and there has been no flying this week. Last week however, hives 10 & 11 were out in the sunshine. The important thing at the moment is to make sure that the hive entrances do not get blocked up with snow. Although the crown boards are cracked open I like to keep the air circulating which means keeping bottom ventilation open as well.

I don't know if I am tempting providence but the sight of our resident woodpeckers feeding on the lawn this morning reminded me once again how lucky I am not to have suffered much damage. I have never had to net the hives even though we have had all three varieties of woodpecker with us for at least ten years. The answer probably lies in the fact that we keep several well-stocked nut feeders hanging around the garden which seem to keep them happy.

Week Commencing 2nd January 2001:

All the hives are now at the east end of the garden. The long cold spell meant that the 'swarm' hive could be moved the whole way without disorientating the bees. I had started to move it the maximum 1m per flying day last autumn but the rainy weather meant that my attempts to get it all the way were thwarted. Four of the hives were flying last week.

Week Commencing 1st November 2000:

Six of the feeders have been removed but 4 still remain. Three are empty but the fourth still has about 10mm of syrup left. This has a tiny hole at the corner and wasps have just been able to wriggle through.....and drown! I must have killed over 100 queen wasps and as each one was a potential nest next year I am rather pleased. There are no indications that they have been robbing the hives themselves. The swarm hive, which had commenced its 3ft/flyingday movement towards the main apiary has been stranded due to the bad weather and hasn't moved for several weeks now. I must keep a closer watch and take advantage of any break in the weather. In the mean time I have been cleaning feeders and tidying the bee shed.

Week Commencing Monday 16th October 2000: Winter Feed

All the honey was extracted months ago and the bees have been existing on what little they could forage from the garden and headlands. If I had left them with the honey they had gathered, this would all be crystallised by now and they would have been unable to eat it during the colder months. Likewise, they would all perish if I did not feed them an alternative. Giving them a winter feed of concentrated sugar solution containing Fumidil medication should, I hope, get them through to the spring. Every hive has been fitted with a Miller feeder and all have been given 8 litres of sugar syrup plus a share of the waste honey left over from the extractions. I was afraid that I had left this too late and it would be too cold for them but they seem to be taking it down quite rapidly. I'll give them a week and the feeders can then be removed.