25/06/2022
Feeding the .
As a rule I try not to feed bees. Beekeepers feed for two reasons - to replace honey they've taken from the bees, or to bolster the bees' stores when they fear there might be a lack of flowers to forage on. My take on it is that I want to foster bees which are good foragers - so if I've left them alone and not taken honey, they shouldn't need feeding... and sugar syrup is a poor substitute for them anyway, compared to their own honey. I dare say in time I might make exceptions but it seems to be working so far.
However, this was a small swarm to start with and I want to give them a fighting chance. Time will tell if they can establish themselves properly or not, but the weather is hit and miss for a few days, so I decided to give them some sugar syrup - the aim is to give them some energy to help them build comb. I also don't use foundation [wax sheets that most beekeepers use to "help the bees along" - more on this in another post I dare say], so I think it's fair to give them a hand with some syrup instead. At this stage they won't store the syrup anyway, they'll just use it to feed themselves, secrete wax for the comb, etc.
You can buy bee feeders to put in your hive but even the commercially available ones seem to have issues with bees falling into them and drowning. These are my own design, though to be honest it's probably unfair to call them a "design" - just some takeaway trays with a chickenwire "ramp" in them. Touch wood, I have never found even one bee drowned in one of these.
They were out today despite the hit-and-miss weather, flying with purpose, so I hope they're going to make a go of it.
In other news I've just been given, and refurbished, a top bar hive that has been in someone's garden for 10 years. It's come up really nicely. More on that to come!
