Hive Talk April 2022

Hive Talk - April 2022

April seems to be playing April Fool’s Day everyday, this month. One day we’re roto raking our lawns, the next day we're digging our snow shovels out. Geesh! Thankfully temperatures are slowly rising….lowering…rising… and finally ending our long winter. The bee hives are still wrapped up. We installed the miticide strips mid March when the weather was 19 degrees C. The Apivar strips will control the Varroa mite count so that their lower numbers are tolerable for the bees. We have also placed food in the upper chamber of the hives. Hopefully the trees will start to bloom and you’ll be able to hear their ‘buzzing’ song soon. Protective clothing: To wear, or not to wear……. I personally have a slight allergic reaction to bee stings so I wear the ‘gear’. Bee suit, gloves, and boots. Some beekeepers don’t, and that is their choice. I can’t imagine them not getting stung, but if they do their reaction is very slight. If you get a chance to visit a hive remember when approaching a bee hive it is always from the side, not directly in front of their entrance as that is their flight path into the hive. Working the bees should be slow and gentle then the bees don’t mind your intrusion too much. If you experience ‘bumping’ on your face or body, and the buzzing pitch of the hive increases, the guard bees are telling you ‘ENOUGH’. Working the bees is like a slow waltz treating them with respect, and gratitude for all their hard work and delicious honey.

Trivia: It takes 6 pounds of honey for the bees to produce 1 pound of wax! Until next month, take care.