19/01/2024
If you beekeeping for a few years, probably you see a difference in the bees behaviour this year compare to past years. With the Spring started early and the Summer heat came in late, the bees been disrupted in their usual rhythm. You might experienced or heard of small swarms, unusual bee behaviour, not much honey storage building up in the hives, re-queening, lack of drone brood or raring drone brood and then the workers kill some of the drone brood and throw the pupae out of the hive. These behaviour changes are mostly the results of the lack of food available for the colonies. As the weather doesn't stay warm long enough for the bloom to pop open or the bloom is there but the rain comes and wash most of it away. We have to keep assisting our bees and protect the environment they have.
Here are some tips for you to consider. Check your bees regularly for honey storage. It is important to check the whole hive and determined how much honey the colony has overall not just in the super. The colony storing honey for their immediate needs around the brood.
You need to recognize if your bees getting to the bottom end on their food source. They can starve and the colony collapse.
Let your lawn go into flower. Clover and dandelions vital food source and you can give it a mow once the flowers done.
Never spray with herbicide on anything have bloom.
Its still not too late planting flowers or nectar giving shrubs in your garden to support wild life and pollinators.
Good source of information about what to plant in your garden.
https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/blog/post/bee-friendly-gardening
Don't forget to look after your mental health first, remember you only can help others if you are ok.
Contact us if you need any more information of the above mentioned.
