Natural Beekeeping

Top Bar ApiRevolution has begun! Lets make some inexpensive Top Bar Hives and let them be pesticide free on their own natural comb! Che Guebee is a rebel bee fighting for the survival of the Biodiversity we all depend on and which is seriously endangered by deforestation and mono-crop agriculture! What kind of teaching have you got if you exclude nature?

Sunday, September 28, 2014

New pollen, winter feeding and varroa

Im am still feeding the bees 5:3 sugar syrup for the winter. Some of the colonies have slowed down with taking the sugar syrup. I would usually re-fill up the glass jars every day but now it can go 3 days before re-filling. That said, some of the hives are still emptying it daily.
 I see bees with white line on their backs which is a sure sign that they have been pollinating Himalayan Balsam.
 For the first time I see bees bringing in Purple pollen. Note the flying bee in the center of the photo (click to enlarge)
There is also yellow (Solidago) and orange as well as Brown pollen coming in (probably White Clover)
I am seeing every so often a bee with deformed wing virus (DWV). This bee has deformed wings due to Varroa and one can clearly see a Varroa mite on this bees back (the light brown button) I have decided not to treat so to be able to breed only survivor stock. I have never seen so many bees with DWV while living in Sweden. It seems to me that even though all Danish beekeepers treat against Varroa they simply can't get rid of it that way.

No comments:

Post a Comment