January 30, 2024

Welcome to the dead of winter in west MI. Bleak, gray, wet, depressing and a surprisingly mild 39 degrees – with the same temperatures expected for the following week! Ive already lost one hive due to, Im guessing, starvation over the stretch of arctic air we had a couple weeks ago. It’s always a sad surprise when I lose a hive because I work so hard at winter preparations in the fall – feeding, mite treatments, ventilation etc. and usually it all works and they come through with flying colors! Even after almost ten years, coping with the casualties of beekeeping never gets easier, but I am comforted by the fact that I am learning with every loss. So, I poured one out for my homies and went on to check for food supply in the form of sugar bricks. This time of year when the temps are warmer, the bees break cluster and are roaming around eating freely. Many colonies starve in the spring due to lack of food, so keep that emergency feed coming! I actually made up a fresh batch of sugar bricks which will hopefully be enough to get them to spring.

Here is my favorite sugar brick reciepe:

5 pounds of sugar

1 cup of water

1 Tablespoon of Honey -B- Healthy

MIx water and Honey -B- Healthy into sugar until damp. If you don’t end up using all the water it’s ok.

Press mixture into “deep” paper plates with a rim. Press until compact and smooth on top. Store in a warm, dry place until they harden – usually 2-3 days. If the mixture is still crumbly on top , spray with water and let dry. After they dry you can add the whole “disk” of sugar, or break off pieces as needed to top of hive.

If you can, try to add feed either when the temps are the coldest so they are down in the cluster, or if you have a day where it 50 or almost, so if they do come out they won’t freeze to death. Most likely though it will be neither of those scenarios, in which case, try to open it from the back, or the area they are not congregating, and place the sugar brick in quickly and then get out of there! Don’t forget to sweep out the front entrance to clear any dead bees out of the way. Maybe do this part first before you add the sugar!

Also, lots of dead bees out in front of your hives now. This is normal die off.

Spring is coming. Stay vigilant, but don’t be a pest. Don’t make them come out if they don’t want to.

Winter Taunts

Winter taunts with his sunset blushing the underside of clouds with colors of Spring blossom pinks stretched across the waning sky. Painted as with an artist’s expert brush teasing my soul languishing in yearning for the breath of Spring, Reminding me who watches how very distant Spring blossoms be.