Feeding the Bees

We've been going through about five pounds of sugar per week feeding our girls in preparation for winter, and now that we've had a couple days of rain and a decent drop in temperatures, it feels even more important that we don't drop the ball on this.

During our last hive inspection, I put some Swiffer-like cleaning cloths in the hives to trap any hive beetles (and figure out if they're at manageable levels or if any of the hives are actually having a problem with them), and I also figured out they all needed a pollen substitute.

Today, we slipped out as grey rain clouds rolled in to refill feeders, pull the fuzzy cleaning cloths out, and put the pollen patties in. There was a lot of stuff to carry out to the bee yard, so I enlisted the help of my ever-present mini-beekeepers, and they did a great job helping!

I'm happy to report that after a week with those Swiffer-esque pads in all three hives, not a single hive beetle was trapped, which tells me we do not have a SHB population to worry about as the weather changes.

I'm also happy to report that both of my little beekeepers remembered all the working-the-hive rules without being reminded, and they put all their own bee gear away when we were done... which for this mama was the best part of the outing today.

Watching them learn this process without fear, and with such respect for these mighty little creatures makes my heart swell to bursting.

Best part of the day.