I've been meaning to post on how my installation of the candy board went last week, but I got busy with preparations for my Top bar hive building adventure. I'll squeeze it in with today's post.
So spring has finally arrived here in Edmonton. We've had almost 2 weeks of above zero highs and the majority of snow has melted away leaving brown/green spots of grass. Before that happened though, I went out to the bee yard to put my candy board on the hive so the girls have something to eat until local plants start to bloom. Everything went well, but I was surprised by the size of the cluster. I was expecting only a small corner or a quarter of the top to be bees, when I opened the cover they covered half of the frames. This created a bit of an issue because I now had to herd the bees around in order to place the candy board on top of the frames. I solved this by breaking the board up into smaller pieces. Next year, I will just forgo this issue by pouring the candy directly into a spare cover that way I can just replace the covers and be done.
Herding bees as I add pieces of candy board.
I headed out today to ensure that my hive wasn't bogged down in a lagoon of melting snow. Mario had expressed some concerns about his hives, but I think mine will do fine because I have them on cinder blocks. As expected, Mario's acreage was very soupy and I might actually have to purchase a pair of rubber boots for my next visit. A balmy 14°C meant a flurry of activity at the entrances of the hives, and the past 2 weeks of warm weather had melted all of the snow from around my hive providing easy access. With the easy access, I decided to unwrap the hives and do a little spring cleaning. Mario had an extra pollen patty as well, so I quickly popped the cover off to put it on top of the frames. The pollen patty will help the colony to start raising brood until they can start gathering larger quantities from blooming flowers. I was happy to see that the bees had been feasting on the candy I had added a week or so before.
Pollen patty, right side, and remnants of the candy board.
Once the hive was unwrapped I removed the entrance reducer and with a hooked piece of metal began fishing around the lower entrance. I was surprised by the amount of debris and dead bees that kept coming out with each swipe. I took a solid 15 minutes of scraping until the hook came out clean. The giant pile of corpses was quite a depressing sight, however it highlights the stark reality that beehives face during winter. So many bees give up their lives so the colony can survive and continue their genetic line.
Mounds of dead bees form a mass grave in front of the hive.
With my spring cleaning done, its back to playing the waiting game. When the weather gets even warmer I will be able to do a proper inspection to ensure everything is peachy keen. Until then, I sit and cheer on the dandelions....and maybe build a top bar hive or two.
BEFORE.
AFTER.
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