I was worried when I departed for Australia that my 6 week absence would have an effect on my bees. To reduce the threat of starvation to the bees, I fed each hive about 1 gallon of sugar syrup. I didn't think that it would be enough, but I was hoping that with good weather, they could make it last.
I did a weight test yesterday (two fingers to lift the side of the hive) and found out that they still have plenty of food in the hive. I was worried for nothing it turns out. It was interesting to see the activity as well. Yesterday was a 70 degree day here in Belmont, NC and the bees were out in full force. They were bringing back some really pale yellow pollen which I surmise is the maple pollen. Maple begins blooming this time of year and that pollen is integral in the production of brood since the increase in pollen stores stimulates the queen to start laying eggs.
If I can get another warm and dry day, will open up the hives and check for some eggs, larvae and brood. I won't be in town much over the next 5 months, so anytime I have the opportunity, I have to get into the hives to see what is going on.
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4 comments:
What is brood? Eggs and larvae i get, brood...NO IDEA.
I like this update. It's so interesting 2 read about this stuff that i have NFI about. Here's the extent of my bee knowledge (which may or may not be 100% correct):-
1) Bees r born fully grown.
2) The honeybee kills more people worldwide than all the poisonous snakes combined.
3) Bees have to collect nectar from four million flowers to make one kilogram of honey.
That's it. My knowledge ends there.
Looking 4ward 2 the next update. :-)
Brood is basically the Pupae stage (just as they are about to emerge as a full grown honeybee) and you can see it becuase the worker bees cover the cell with a wax mixture.
I see the TWITTER updates but they're not as good as an ACTUAL blog update.
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