Our first winter talk was given by our Apiary Manager Bob Gilbert. Bob has over 40 years experience in beekeeping and the subject of the talk was Bee Nutrition, which was very helpful and useful at this time of year.
Bob talked about starting the beekeeping cycle in Autumn when we are preparing to help the bees through winter to ensure they arrive strong and healthy for the Spring.
Without the right nutrition, the whole development of the hive is interrupted; there won’t be a good honey crop, the quality of the queen could be compromised, the temperament of the bees could be affected etc etc. Good nutrition helps to provide good immunity for the bees and reduces the impact of diseases and pests.
Bob provided insight to research that has been done stating that it takes 60-80 kilograms of stores per year to provide for each colony. He broke this down to illustrate that this is not only feeding each and every bee that will be part of that colony for the year, but also ‘powering them’ as they will use around 60% of that in energy alone.
He talked through some of the feed options and methods available that we as beekeepers can provide and explained what was most appropriate at different stages. We also covered the feed options that the bees provide themselves including bee bread and royal jelly.
Advice was provided on the importance of checking for stores during the winter and the methods of doing so. These spells of warmer weather mean that the bees are still using energy and we have to remember that when it comes to thinking about their stores.
All in all, it was a very useful and timely reminder that even though weekly inspections might not need to be as thorough as previous months, it’s still very important to be vigilant on a regular basis. Thank you Bob!
