Last Inspection of 2011

Was a beautiful 62 degree day and the bees were flying so took advantage of it to inspect the hives and check on their honey stores. Since our temps have ranged from 45 to 65 degrees thus far this winter, the bees have remained up in the top box of both hives instead of clustering lower. With so many bees up top, it was impossible to see between the frames so had to pull one to check on the honey.

Can you spot the queen?

The OV bees were quite feisty! The one frame I pulled had just a few cells of honey so will begin feeding them fondant. And wouldn't you know it, but this frame also had the queen on it! I took a quick pic before slowly and carefully replacing it. No wonder the guard bees were after me! Last year I didn't begin feeding until the 25th of January but they were clustered in the bottom box until then.

I've mentioned this before but the Sasha hive is so very different from the OV hive and the differences are quite noticeable. Not only are the Sasha bees gentler than the OV bees but they are smaller and lighter in color. Only one guard bee flew up to check me out. They still have a fair amount of honey on the frames so will hold off feeding them for a bit.

Already planning for 2012 and adding the 3rd and final hive to our apiary. Need to inventory the supplies on hand and order the wooden ware.

The Lore of the Honey-Bee by Tickner Edwardes

Am the delighted recipient of The Lore of the Honey-Bee by Tickner Edwardes (1865 - 1944). He had always wanted to be an author from childhood and wrote a number of romantic novels. This 1908 book is full of information that is still pertinent today and will be great winter reading.

When the First World War broke out he applied to join the army as a fighting soldier but was told that at the age of 50 he was too old. However he did join the Royal Army Medical Corps as a private, and worked his way through the ranks to become a Captain particularly involved in entomology – the study of insects.

Following his enlistment he decided to enter the priesthood and subsequently became vicar of Burpham. It was during his time there that another of his books was to achieve fame - Tansy 1921. It was made into a silent film on location in the village and was highly successful, starring some of the most popular stars of the era. 

St. Ambrose - Patron Saint of Beekeepers

Part of the Rose Window at the
Church of the Gesu, Milwaukee, WI

Born about 338 A.D., legend is that a swam of bees settled upon the face of the infant Ambrose and left behind a drop of honey. His father took it as a sing that the boy would grow up to speak eloquently with a honeyed tongue. For this reason Ambrose is often depicted with bees or a skep.

There is much about the life of St. Ambrose on the internet so will leave that up to you to discover. If you look to saints for intersession, St. Ambrose is our one!

St. Ambrose in white accompanied
by St. Gervasius and Protasius.

Ambrose became the Bishop of Milan in 374 and died in 397. His body may be viewed at the Church of St. Ambrosio in Milan.

Lots of Stores for Winter

Silly photo, I know but I'm
feeling silly today!

Inspected just the top box of both hives today as they've done a great job sealing everything up with propolis and wanted to disturb the hives as little as possible while checking on their stores.

The OV hive still has a good population of bees and was again quite feisty. I wear a jacket / veil combo that zips together around the neck and one determined guard bee managed to sneak its way inside the veil via the tiny gap where the zipper ends don't quite meet. The words of Dave Morris of BUMBA came to mind... "Squish it or suffer the consequences." You can bet I squished it against the side of my chin and fast!

The OV hive has a eight medium frames full but it is mostly uncapped yet. There were plenty of bees up there fanning away so I'm sure it will be capped in no time and the population will die off to a comfortable level for winter.

The Sasha hive has about half the amount of bees and 6 full medium frames nearly all capped with another half of the adjoining frames uncapped. This hive had stopped taking from the feeder nearly two weeks ago so figured they were ready.

Last year, I had just the OV hive and it went into winter with 5-6 frames so feel both hives are well prepared this year.

No Mice Welcomed Here!

Our days are still mild but our overnight temps have been quite cool. I'm sure there are more than a few field mice that would love to curl up for a long winter's nap in a nice warm hive so it was time to put the mouse guards in place.

The best advice I got as a new beekeeper is that you don't have to spend a lot of money on do-dads and stuff. There are nice mouse guards on the market but I employ this simple guard made from a length of hardware cloth, folded loosely in half along the length and stuffed in the opening. It is naturally springy so the tension keeps it in place.

Last year I was able to keep the top feeders on until Veteran's Day but with the temps some nights near freezing I have stopped feeding. I'm beginning to see dead bees outside the hives. A sure sign of winter coming!