Flood
You will be aware that heavy rain throughout the UK has meant flooding in areas and riverbanks overflowing. The UK Bee Farmers Association have circulated a questionnaire to find out the extend of those members affected. It goes without saying that all bee apiaries that could be near a potential flood risk area should be moved now. It is generally known that moving bees in the winter is a bad idea. The disturbance make the bees active, alarmed and they will consume reserve food stores, much needed at this time of year. But in light of them drowning, move them to a safe area now.
Starvation
The weather is spiking warm some days, cold on others. This means your bees will go out of their hives on warmer days in search of nectar and pollen. However there is not much nectar if any to collect, so they could use up all their remaining honey stores for the energy to go out and look for nectar. Keep a close watch on each hive for food levels and feed frames of honey if you have them, or a slab of fondant as an emergency feed. Bees can look healthy and happily flying in and out of the hive one day and dead the next. They all share the remaining food equally and therefore show no sign of anything wrong until it is too late.
All photos & text copyright protected The Hive Honey Shop Ltd- 2014©
All photos & text copyright protected The Hive Honey Shop Ltd- 2014©
