Checking Bees for Food
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Checking my first colony February 27, 2021 to make sure they have enough food. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Checking Bees For Food
The day was cold and overcast but I still headed out to my apiary to check my colonies for food. Many honey bee colonies are lost at the end of winter when bees run out of honey. Even though I gave my colonies extra supplies last fall, I also add sugar cakes at the top of the hive in case they run out.
This is a colony that is now at the top of the hive almost out of supplemental food. They consumed the honey that was stored in the supers on their way up to the top of the hive.
This colony has consumed the extra sugar I gave them a month ago. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
It’s easy to think mild winters are good for bees but the opposite is true. Mild winters mean bees will be consuming more honey as they fly out of the hive so beekeepers have to keep track of honey stores and provide extra.
One way I make sure my colonies have enough food is to give them supplemental sugar cakes at the top of the hive. I make sugar cakes out of just sugar early winter; by this time of the year I add pollen supplements turning the sugar cakes yellow. The pollen provides food for the nurse bees to be able to provide new bees food as they eclose.
White sugar cakes need to be sprayed with water so bees can get to the sugar. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Whatever white sugar cakes remain this time of year also need to be sprayed with water to loosen up the sugar so bees can access it.
Another advantage of having sugar cakes is that if the hive has moisture, the sugar will absorb it. Cold temperatures don’t kill bees but moisture can.
So far, so good!
