Posts Tagged ‘ivy’

Autumn Beekeeping and the Switch to Fondant Feeding

Friday, October 11th, 2024

Returning to the apiary this autumn, I was greeted with warm, summery days – perfect for beekeeping. The ivy is now in full bloom, offering both nectar and pollen to the colonies as we approach the first frosts. It’s always fascinating to observe how much the bees have foraged, and this time of year offers a final opportunity to assess their stores before winter sets in.

This year, I’ve made a significant change to how I feed my bees: I’ve switched from commercial sugar syrup to fondant. While syrup was effective, it was often messy, and the bees consumed it too quickly, reducing the available space for the queen to lay eggs. The syrup also encouraged robbing by wasps and other bees, creating unnecessary stress for the colonies. This made it clear that a better solution was needed, especially as the bees should be focusing on storing resources for winter rather than defending the hive from robbers.

Now, I’m using 12.5kg blocks of fondant per hive, which I’ve found to be far more manageable. To gauge how hungry the bees are and assess their foraging success, I start off with a smaller 2.5kg slab of fondant. This gives me a good sense of whether the bees have been able to gather enough from the flowering ivy. If the colonies are still hungry after consuming the initial fondant, I’ll know they need more support.

Once the bees have finished the initial feed, each colony receives a 12.5kg block, cut into two slabs using a bread knife. This should be enough to last them through the remaining weeks of autumn. I’ll return around bonfire night to check on them, removing any remaining supers, unused fondant, and the treatments. Liquid syrup not only caused issues with robbing but also complicated the treatment process. By switching to fondant, I’ve streamlined the whole approach, helping to maintain the health of the colonies in a less invasive way.

Aside from the feeding, I’ve also got some final colonies to move between apiaries. Once this is done, I’ll be finished for the season and can turn my attention to planning for next year. Though it may seem counterintuitive, the beekeeping season really starts in October, as this is when I begin preparing for the year ahead, making sure the colonies are set up for success through the winter months and into spring.

How well the colonies overwinter plays a crucial role in their performance next year. A healthy, well-fed colony with good stores and minimal stress is much more likely to build up quickly in the spring, setting the stage for a productive season. This is why it’s so important to get things right during the autumn – the work we put in now will directly impact how well the bees thrive when the warmer months return.

With this new system in place, the bees will be all set for winter, ready to settle down as the cold weather takes hold. The switch to fondant has made my autumn beekeeping routine much simpler and, more importantly, keeps the hives healthier and more secure as they prepare for the months ahead.

Post to Twitter

Day 4 – Game of Thorns Part 4

Sunday, August 20th, 2017

Day 4. – Game of Thorns Part 4

Hopefully today, will be the final day, and I will be able to just run the hedger through the remainder of the hedge. So not as labour intensive, and we can finish early.

The hedge is CUT, just a little tidy up todo around my greenhouse!

BEFORE

AFTER

Post to Twitter

Day 3 – Game of Thorns Part 3

Saturday, August 19th, 2017

Day 3. – Game of Thorns Part 3

another Saturday, another weekend, and we are stilling cutting the hedge, but there is now light at the end of the tunnel, as we are now out of the majority of hawthorn and brambles!

Yes, that is a christmas tree in the front garden planted about approx 20 years ago..

Post to Twitter

Day 2 – Game of Thorns Part 2

Monday, August 14th, 2017

Day 2. – Game of Thorns Part 2

So my arms got so badly cut up with hawthorn and blackthorn, I’m wearing my leather cow-hide beekeeping gauntlets today, so I look like I’m handling radio active waste, and the thorns are still cutting into my hands and skin through the leather!

This is as far as we’ve got today, and another 8 bags to the dump!

See pictues of what we’ve cut, and what we’ve got to cut, some of this has been cut by hand with just lopers, as it’s too thick for the hedger to go throw.

Post to Twitter

Day 1 – Game of Thorns Part 1

Sunday, August 13th, 2017

Day 1. – Game of Thorns Part 1

We’ve started to cut the hedge today, Lindsey & I have been busy pruning, well cutting down our hedge which surrounds the house from about 15 foot to 6 foot. The hedge was not cut last year, and it’s grown by 4-5 feet! It’s been a difficult and tiring job, not only the cutting of the hedge, but disposing of all the hedge cuttings to the local dump.

We did ask for quotations to cut hedge but were too expensive…

So here are the first photos of Day 1 the first couple are from the greenhouse side, and then you can see what has been cut, as the bamboo canes were previously hidden and are 8 foot high.

Post to Twitter