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Beekeepers Blog - October 2021

Beekeepers Blog - October 2021

The October edition of our 2021 blog. Written by the beekeepers here at Thornes.

Last month we definitely saw the temperatures drop and this really shows us that the start of the end of the active beekeeping season has begun.

The bees have been fed fondant to make sure they have enough stores to last them as we go into winter. As the season progresses, we will continue to heft the hives and double check that they have enough to keep them going.

Last month we made a start on clearing up the apiary and this month we have been sorting through frames, looking at the combs and putting any that look over two years old to one side so we can clear the frames up for next year. This is fairly arduous, and we do get a few wax moth larvae here and there because those little critters just love older comb! This is all being cleared up ready for next year so we can start on lovely new frames or at least decently drawn, clean combs.

We had some strong winds this month across the country and it was no different here in Lincolnshire. This is why we decided to strap the hives down, to stop them from blowing apart. We have been caught out in the past with sudden gales, so we didn’t want the hive parts to be blown over again – this is traumatic for the bees, if not fatal and just unnecessary extra work for us! Ratchet straps are the strongest solution for hive strap but there are other, more budget straps available that do a similar job.

Mouseguards have been secured to most hives, although we do still have a few hives left that need them on the front to stop those pesky little rodents setting up home in the hives over winter!

We imagine next month will be much the same; tidying up the apiary and cabin, checking for food and making sure the hives are secure from the elements and from pests.

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