Today I finally finished off doing all the last-minute tasks for the winter.Poly and Heather both got 2 sugar bags put on - which given that they’re both almost completely full of stores should see them well. Alice got a single bag in their nuc, but I’ll keep a closer eye on them as their stores are lower than I’d like going into winter, but their colony is too small to store and cap any more syrup.
The sugar bags are made by taking a bag of sugar (in a paper wrapping), dunking it in a bucket of cold water (anywhere between 15-60 seconds), then leaving it to harden into a giant sugar cube. Its something I first found in the EMBA Basics of Beekeeping document at their downloads page, attributed to Archie Ferguson and it worked well last year.
All 3 hives have had mouseguards fitted.
A brief reckoning makes it:
Alice - 2kg, plus 1 kg hard sugar
Heather - 3kg, plus 2 kg hard sugar
Poly - 4kg, plus 2kg hard sugar
Assuming I can still extract 4-5kgs of honey from Poly’s supers, a net increase in value, if not in volume…
Todo
Beginning of January - check stores levels. - DONE - no signs of them going hungry!
Oxalic acid trickle (when the colony is broodless). DONE
Spring 1:1 feed when its warmer.
