A World for Bees

Thank you bees, and thank you to everyone who helped me in the apiary this year (Jayson, Tim, Robin). Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Oh my goodness, October is upon us! I don't know how September flew by so quickly The bees are getting ready for winter - got their Varroa treatments, mouse-guards, and are settling down with some extra feeding because summer was so wet. Am thanking them for the new crunchy apples and lovely squash everyday!

Hi all, posting about another beautiful insect today - the iconic Monarch butterfly! The Canadian Wildlife Federation / Fédération canadienne de la faune is doing excellent work to protect Monarchs. If you have friends in ONTARIO, please share! The #monarchmigration is underway, and CWF needs observations in their iNaturalist project to support scientific modelling of Monarch habitat and roosting sites. Enjoy butterflies and contribute to Monarch conservation. https://www.inaturalist.org/pr/monarch-migration-in-ontario

Just a reminder that beekeepers should monitor Varroa and get the fall treatment on NOW if you haven't already. I did this last week. In late August, honeybees get overwhelmed by mites because the number of mites in the hive is icreasing while the colony is shrinking. Waiting until September or later to treat your bees means that the winter bees can contract viruses, which reduces colony survival. Sugar-roll monitoring showed that my colonies were over-threshold for Varroa,... even though the colonies were large and vigorous. Don't assume you can forgo treatments just because your bees look healthy! I use organic acid treatments (formic pro shown below) that don't leave residues in the hives. Safe and effective.

Hey all, I want to introduce you to the new baby in my life! True to form, she has a floral name..."Rosie." She's a welsh springer spaniel, and hoo boy is she full of beans already! So your feed will now include puppy posts. Hope you enjoy watching her grow up

Sunny forecast this weekend! Enjoy!

A few more pics from the field, to highlight the Monarch butterfly migration which has begun (yes, we have Monarchs in Nova Scotia) Friends of mine with a gorgeous bee garden planted a big patch of swamp milkweed (behind the hive) and they've seen Monarchs flitting through their backyard. Bees love to feed on Milkweed too, for a double win!

Had an absolutely GLORIOUS summer apiary visit yesterday...26 degrees, light breeze, happy bees. All the colonies are in great health with good pollen stores and brood! Honey harvest will be 50% less this year because of all the rain. But my bees are always #1, and I'll make sure they have plenty

All friends. A great re-frame!

My favorite thing about beekeeping is raising up small colonies. It brings out my mom energy, and makes me happy when they're growing well and ready for more space! Keep reading cuz I need name suggestions... Yesterday I transferred a 5- frame nuc to an 8-frame deep. This was a small swarm I caught on the ground in June, but had to re-queen her. This little colony has found her stride with her new Queen, and will over-winter in a single deep. ... Will transfer her later to the Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum so she can be Aster's neighbour. Please suggest flower names that start with "A"!!

Photos from a sunnier day. The little apiary at NSCC Akerley Campus is growing beautifully! Lee and Melissa took my Natural Beekeeping 101 course a few years ago, and they're making a great start. These colonies will be integral to Akerley's culinary program. Colourful, well-tended bee hives are such a delight!

A wee bit of Queen drama lately, as my colony Helianthus over-swarmed in June, and then struggled with a poorly-mated Queen and the stress of all this cool, wet weather. I gave her some time to turn things around, but end of July is my deadline for fixing Queen issues! With only one more month of summer (sorry), I got her a new Queen. First had to remove a few small Queen cells because the colony didn't have the resources to raise their own. Fingers crossed Helianthus will accept the new Queen, and then I can help the colony recover. Thanks to Jayson Murphy for the help and photos!

Habitat restoration for pollinators is really on my mind these days. And I'm thrilled to be working part-time with the Canadian Wildlife Federation / Fédération canadienne de la faune, a national leader in habitat restoration. We're restoring roosting/ nectaring habitat for migrating Monarch butterflies in eastern and southern Ontario, partnering with many other wonderful organizations! If you're interested in creating meadows for pollinators on your own property, even small ones, here's a beautiful "Meadow Hub" that walks you through some basics! https://meadows.plantlife.org.uk/

A quick pic from one of my apiaries. As of December 14, the hives are still unwrapped! I usually wrap in early December once the nights have settled slightly below zero. But with all the temperature ups and downs this year, I'm still waiting. Am keeping an eye on temperatures this week.

HANUKKAH SAMEACH to our Jewish beekeeping friends!

For the beekeepers among you: miticides can affect Queen mating! This is why I'm so judicious about the Varroa treatments I use in my own colonies, when, and how often. https://entomologytoday.org//use-varroa-miticides-wisely-/

What a stunning warm day The girls have been very active, and my city colony is collecting the very last pollen. Maybe from fall crocus? Many beekeepers are wondering whether to feed their bees. I am not, because I don't want to break the seals of their hives or introduce any humidity in the form of sugar syrup. If we have another warm week, I'll probably break down and offer sugar cakes. But for now, I'm remembering that they were well fed in october, and this warm spell is relatively brief.

Took this video at the Museum of Natural History, as I was checking on their honey bee observation colony. The bees are still active, but the Queen has slowed her laying for the winter season. "Queen Victoria" is a beautiful dark Queen, and you can see her a third of the way up in this clip. She's dipping her abdomen into the wax cells to lay eggs. Heather McKinnon at the Museum is taking great care of this colony, and they look healthy and strong going into winter! #Queenbee

It's #givingtuesday! One of my deepest concerns and strongest commitments is food security. In past years I helped to evaluate market-based solutions to improve food security in our province, and I'm an ardent supporter of small farms. (BTW, Ted Hutten has an impressive no-touch *outdoor* vegetable tent at the Halifax Brewery Market, for those of you who feel safer shopping outdoors). I just donated to Feed Nova Scotia. In regular years, more than 7000 households reach out ...for food support. I think the number will be higher this year as businesses close. I hope some of you will join me and the bees in providing nourishment to our neighbours. Thank you all! https://www.feednovascotia.ca/donate/giving-tuesday

So much satisfaction in filling up the honey cupboard. Most of my beautiful, raw Fiadh-ròs (wild rose) honey is sold, but I'll bring some to the Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum's outdoor holiday market on November 21

Aww, little bees. Today was my last glimpse til next spring. With night temperatures in single digits and reaching zero, it's time to add insulation under their covers. It's like giving them a hat, and is necessary for preventing condensation from dripping on the bees. I don't use anything fancy. A layer of thin towel under a piece of styrofoam, between the inner and outer covers. I added some metal bear straps in case there are still some wandering black bears around, but hopefully they won't be tested! Finished the look with a nice heavy cinder block on top.

Not posting this to cause fear. And in the big scheme of things, we have so many invasive species in North America that cause major conservation problems. I just think it's interesting to read about how the hornets were baited and tracked back to their nest. Strawberry jam! https://globalnews.ca//74199/murder-hornets-washington-bc/