Our temperatures again rose to the low 40's this afternoon after being in the low teens last night. I saw a few bees flying and decided today would be a good day to add a grease patty. The patty consists of a 3 to 1 sugar to grease ratio. I also added some organic honey and a bit of peppermint extract so the bees would be attracted to it. When I lifted the inner cover, I did not see any bees and my heart sank. I had been seeing lots of bees in the shallow super. I decided to go ahead and check the deep hive box, and much to my relief, there were the girls clustered in the front left-hand quadrant. I quickly put the patty on top of the frames and almost immediately the bees were drawn to it. This will hopefully be another source of nourishment for them during these very cold days, and it is also a teatment for mites. I'm not doing any chemical treatments on this hive. I'm an organic gardener and I wouldn't treat my garden with chemicals and I will not treat my bees. There are excellent organic options available for both.
Beekeeping at Heifer Ranch
3 months ago
1 comment:
There seems to be a much greater appreciation for organic gardening now, than there was when I first became interested in it over thirty-six years ago. I am eagerly looking forward to warmer weather so I can get out the tiller, lay off some rows and start planting. Gardening just flat out satisfies my soul!
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