So, I have been getting my hives ready for winter. When I bought all of this sugar, at Aldi's, cheapest place I could find it, the guy in line behind me said, "are you trying to turn into a diabetic or something." I said, "yeah....that I just love me some sugar."
So, I read two sugar cake recipes for feeding your bees in the winter. In the past, they have always had enough honey to last them through the winter, and if I wasn't sure I would buy a candy board from a beekeeper. But I didn't want to pay the price for 9 hives, and I decided I could 'you tube' a recipe, so I did! One was 15 pounds of sugar a hive, and one was five. I went with the five pound per hive recipe. I have nine hives. That's 45 pounds of sugar just for the candy boards and these are 4 pound bags.
I decided before I made nine of these recipes I was going to test them out first. The bees loved it! WOOHOO!!!
So, I took styrofoam insulation and cut it the size of each hive. I wrapped it with a feed sack, put it in the top of the hive. Put the sugar cakes under the wrapped insulation, but on top of the frames. Easy access for the bees. Then I wrapped the entire thing in saran wrap. I've never insulated inside the hive before. It was my beekeeper friends idea and I decided why not.
In the meantime, every day it's above 50 degrees and sunny outside, I make them some sugar water to drink.
I have been working very hard trying to get my bees ready for winter this year. I hope we do not have a winter like last year. But if we do, I know my bees will not starve to death. I hope they don't freeze to death. Time will tell. Keep your fingers crossed.
Cindy Bee
Cindy, I pray for you and your bees. We need bees. I have to admit you are a very kind bee keeper. You do your best for them. We are to have some snow possibly this weekend. Stay warm. xoxo,Susie
ReplyDeleteAlthough I hate to admit it, I never thought about keeping them warm in winter months....very interesting!!...:)JP
ReplyDeleteFingers are most certainly crossed!
ReplyDeleteBees with room service!!
ReplyDeleteJane x
You will be very busy with those bees this winter! I've about "had it" with updates. The last time I did that update thing, many of the Windows 8 tiles have disappeared, and I lost information and pictures that had been stored in the computer. It was almost as though the computer had crashed. I've had to reenter passwords, etc. Such a headache!
ReplyDeleteI really hope they survive this winter, Cindy. They sure seem well looked after. And I'm crossing my fingers that we don't have another winter like last year, but as I look out the window I can see snow falling which isn't a good sign.
ReplyDeleteI hope they make it ok!! I'll have them in my thoughts. I wish you a wonderful weekend!!
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy, well, you learn something new everyday . . . I never thought about the care of bees. I just thought giving them a hive instead of a hole in a tree was it. Boy! I've got a lot to learn:) You are a sweet little Bee Keeper and I'll bet all of those little buzzy bodies think of you as Mom:)
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend,
Connie :)
P.S. I lived in Tennessee for a while back in the 60's. The grocery stores where suppose to report anyone that was buying a lot of sugar, because of stills. I thought that you were going to say that the man at the store thought that you were a moonshiner, LOL.