Bees had been fed, tidied up, treated with HiveClean and left to their own devices. I decided to feed as otherwise I might have lost them. I have made a very big mistake at the beginning of the year that I have not fed the split hive and the swarm hive. The way I understand it now, when a colony is weak it needs feeding to bring it back to its strength, don’t take but give and they will pay you back the next year. But I suppose we live and learn. My idea that I will leave them to overwinter without feeding was a bit … and could have cost me. My bees were not strong enough to provide themselves with enough stores. So what I need to do next year is to give them sugar candy at the beginning of the year and keep an eye on them. If need be I need to feed them. I should make my colonies big and strong and then they will manage just fine.
We have made some changes in the garden, and going to prepare a new area for 3 more hives for next year. Its very exciting.
The weather – challenging. Last week we had about 3 days with -4 in the morning, wall to wall sunshine and just glorious. This week, total change, as for example had about 20 degrees during the day and 9 C during the night. Bees very active, still crocuses about plus some more wild flowers.
The garden is just about finished, the only things left in the vegetable garden are the leeks and parsnips, the rest had been rotavated. The rest of the garden, except for an extra little improvement that I would like to make around our blueberry bushes, is just about sorted out.
We are getting ready for winter season and I am actually starting to be looking forward to it. Don’t take me wrong I love winter but we had a long season last year and it sort of got on top of me. Now, I will be happy to go skiing mid to late December and from than till April. Looking forward to it. Hope its a good one.