I've only been keeping bees for two years - never thought that I wouid be concerned about insects - but there you go.
Last year I lagged the hive - but that resulted in it staying damp - so this year I have build a roof that keeps the rain off - but doesn't provide any protection from the cold...
Well, I have an answer - No, they didn't survive - strange thing is that having opened the hive to see if they were all dead (because there was no activity at the entrance) I discovered that the hive was virtually bee-vacant - just a couple of dozen dead bees - I am hopong that they have "gone south" due to the grotty weather and will return when the spring arrives - but I am not holding my breath!
ReplyDeleteSo ... I have volunteered for the swarm collection team. As a reward I should get a nice new swarm of bees to replace my loss. Swarms are quite exciting - last year I stood outside my hive as one emerged, didn't know what to do (or even if it was possible to do anything). The noise from 20-30,000 airborn bees is quite something on an otherwise quiet warm early summer afternoon. The books tell you that they are not interested in you, just on finding a new place to live, that is hard to hold onto whilst standing in the middle of a swarm - it's a lot of bees!
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