Happy New Year!
Another year begins, and preparations for the season continue. During the winter month’s I keep an eye on the amount of stores the colonies have to get them through to spring. I popped down to the apiary on a relatively mild New Year’s Day. At 16 C there were a few bees flying in and out, and the four colonies looked well (Queen Whizz, Queen Billie the Second, Queen Skye and Queen Charlie). On checking each colony decided to add a pack of bee fondant over the crownboards of each hive, giving them a backup in case there stores run out and preventing starvation.
A few weeks later, I returned to treat the bees with apply a varroa treatment to each colony.
The parasitic varroa mite attacks and feeds on honey bees, attaching to the body of the bee and sucking the bee’s fat bodies. As well as weakening bees, varroa also act as a transmission vector of a number of bee viruses, including deformed wing. Not keeping varroa in check may lead to a colony infestation that can kill the whole colony.
All being well the varroa treatment has done it’s job and the bees will all be fit and healthy come spring.