The sun is shining and it's warm! I looked out at Walter Bee this morning and the girls were out in force. I immediately put the feeder on. They are almost in a frenzy, feeding, cleaning out the hive (lots of dead bees from the past very cold week) and bringing in small amounts of pollen. I think they are as glad as I am for a nice day. The weather should continue to be mild for the next few days. I hope the really cold weather is over.I peeped under the inner cover to see if they had eaten any of the grease patty and it did not seem they had. There were a few bees showing some interest. I think it's just been too cold for them to break the cluster, but they seem to be surviving in spite of the elements. I'll continue to check the grease patty.
My new camera finally arrived yesterday. This has been a very gentle hive to work with. Because I'm so comfortable working in very close proximity to them, I hope to be able to create a very good picture journal. Sometimes pictures do speak louder than words.
When I got Walter Bee I told a friend that I knew I would always be a gardener, but not sure how I would do as a beekeeper. Believe me, I'm hooked! I can't wait for spring to get my second hive.
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.
