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Fall is Here
It's official, fall is here. Time to figure out what to be for Halloween if your going to dress up. Apple cider will flow and pumpkin pies will start rearing their ugly heads. I don't know why, pumpkin pie makes me cry, I'm a wild blackberry pie kind of guy.
I am happy to have rainy days again. It sucks to get muddy and wet when you are working outside, but on those days that you are not working outside, its nice to not feel guilty about a inside day reading or watching Netflix.
I think their is something embedded in our DNA that brings a sort of contentment during harvest season. I cant articulate how it makes me feel. Sadness that summer is over, sadness that I'm being pitched Christmas by retailers, sadness that I'm cold and wet, working in the rain. Maybe its not contentment but solemn resignation!
Tales From the Hive
I don't have much to report on this front, much like our bees, our hive is pretty quiet. Potlucks and fairs are over and its time to see if our late summer preparations will carry our bees through our dark swing around the sun.
Seth will be giving a talk about mite control and some different methods he's been trying out to control them. I also heard rumors about the benefit of feeding your hives bananas...Im not sure what that is about, so you better show up to the meeting and find out.
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Things to do this Month
- Treat for mites. If you haven't done so yet, there is a slim chance you can still help your bees on this front. The bee population has hit its peak and so have the mites. As the bee population starts to decline, a heavy mite load will kill your colony. I personally have been treating with oxalic acid and have had big mite drops. My hives looked really strong this summer, with a large bee population and I thought I was in good shape. I guess what I didn't realize is that with the large number of bees, there was a large number of mites.
- Feed your bees. We have a short period of time left to do this, like a week or two before it gets too cold for liquid feed. Think about adding some Pro Health, or Honey B Healthy to your feed. These have beneficial essential oils that help the bees immune system and will stimulate them to eat.
- Start thinking ahead. It's a good time to start thinking about making or buying candy boards and pollen patties. You can freeze these, that way when you need it, you have it. Go through your boxes, bottom boards and lids. Look at your equipment and think about what your bee needs will be for the spring. It's always controlled chaos trying to predict what peoples bee needs will be. If you figure it out early, it will help to ensure you get the queens and Nuc's you want for next season.
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