It's Time to Feed the Honeybees!
I’ve been keeping honeybees for many years. These little extraordinary creatures work hard to pollinate my crops and in doing so, produce delicious honey, which is enjoyed by many. Perhaps you recall my blog from last August when Carlos and beekeeper, D.J. Haverkamp of Bedford Bee, extracted honey from my beehives. During spring and summer, there is much nectar around for honeybees to gather, which they take back to their hives and turn into honey. But, in autumn and winter, it’s important to offer your bees sugar syrup when the nectar flow is scarce or nonexistent. As with nectar, honeybees will turn the sugar syrup into honey for the hive to consume during the cold days of winter.
1 You may recall that we had a very nice honey yield this summer and now it is time to supplement the hives with sugar syrup so that the bees can create new honey to carry them through the winter.
2 Before approaching the hives, Carlos dons a beekeeping veil and preps the smoker.
3 Bee smokers have been used for centuries to calm bees.
4 Carlos fills the smoker with some dried hay from the stable and lines the top with some newspaper.
5 The newspaper makes a great firestarter.
6 Carlos lets the flame build until the hay beneath ignites. Smoke masks alarm pheromones that are released by guard bees when the hive is opened for inspection.
7 Carlos gently pumps the bellows, which are attached to the smoker, feeding the flame with oxygen.
8 One bee's pheromone alerts the hive of imminent danger. If a single bee feels threatened, it will convey that to hive members nearby who, in turn, pass that warning onto the rest of the hive.
9 Carlos pumps the bellows, releasing a few puffs of smoke. Bee activity is minimal and it's time to open the hive.
10 Carlos first removed the outer cover, exposing the inner cover.
11 Next, using his hive tool, Carlos began prying off the inner cover. It needed prying because the bees seal any hive cracks and opening with a resinous mixture called propolis, which they collect from tree buds and sap flows.
12 Rigid hive tools are a must in beekeeping. They're used to loosen hive bodies and frames, as well as scraping combs, and even removing bee stings!
13 Beneath the inner cover is a shallow honey super, where the bees will make honey comb to store their honey supply. You can see the amber-colored propolis seal around the inner edge of the super.
14 Carlos loosened and lifted a frame, showing the beeswax foundation but no honey comb. The bees need food in order to start making their winter honey supply.
15 This is the hive-top feeder, which is placed directly on top of the upper honey super. The bees enter the feeder from below by means of a screened access.
16 Carlos filled the feeder with cool syrup. This is a mix of 2-parts white sugar to 1-part water, heated to near boiling to dissolve the sugar.
17 The amount and frequency of feeding will affect the size and the viability of the hive. To keep the hive healthy and growing, we feed the bees every couple of weeks.
18 Two hives down - one to go!
19 I am proud to say that Carlos has learned a lot about beekeeping this past year. He's much more comfortable around the bees.
20 As if by magic, the bees eat the sugar syrup, mix it with special enzymes, and regurgitate it into the honeycomb cells as honey. They will use that honey as their food source throughout the winter.
21 With the hive-top bee feeders in place, the inner hive covers are not needed. They are cleaned and stored until spring when the feeders are removed from the hives.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Carlos is a bettter man that I am, but my being female, he would be, of course.
But, I would be scared to death to do what he and other bee keepers do.
But, I guess it is like anything else...if you know what you're doing, it isn't so bad.
I'm glad you and your helpers take such good care of your bees as we need all the bees we can get.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | September 21st, 2011 at 12:50 am
PS...I forgot to ask...how do you keep the sugar water from freezing in the winter?
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | September 21st, 2011 at 12:51 am
hi Martha,
we are in saudi arabia don't like to give the bees the sugar syrup, the honey that will give not yummy. so, we let them feed themselves from Buckthorn tree and other tree like Acacia..
best regards.
Shroog
Posted by: Shroog | September 21st, 2011 at 1:37 am
Hi Martha,
Did you know that propolis is very good to help your body (particularly nose, throat) to get ready for the winter. It will boost its resistence.
It is good to have one teaspoon honey everyday during winter, it is also recommanded to have one teaspoon local honey during spring to be less affected by hay fever. Thanks to the bees for their good work!
Posted by: FunkySteph | September 21st, 2011 at 5:17 am
Carlos is so versatile, he is wonderful with the pups and driving, and so many other things, you have a real jewel there Martha.
Posted by: Aussie gal | September 21st, 2011 at 5:25 am
So glad to see that your hives are thriving. I really enjoy seeing how they are taken care of. Thanks for sharing Martha!
Posted by: Julie | September 21st, 2011 at 7:47 am
Carlos must feel comfortable around the bees, I noticed he didn't cover his hands or arms! I remember on Martha's show she said she received honey as a christmas gift, Ha! I think she said she gave it to her daughter.
Posted by: Cindy F | September 21st, 2011 at 8:27 am
I love your blogs so so much, especially seeing your gardens. I also subscribe to all your magazines, but what I wish you would do is a GARDENING magazine, even if it was published 4-6 times a year. Most of them have beautiful photos, but I know you would do such a great how to, with amazing pics and information instead of something that you flip thru for 5 minutes and there's not a great deal of useful info. I think it would be a big hit, the competition is blah.
Posted by: Lynn | September 21st, 2011 at 8:36 am
My vague recollection is that you had some winter bee kill last year. Are you going to do anything differently this winter, to reduce the chances of a winter bee kill?
Posted by: JohnJ | September 21st, 2011 at 8:55 am
Hi Martha, You have the best people working at your Bedford farm that I've ever see in my life! Shaun and Betsy and all of their helpers keep your farm and animals in tip top shape and Uncle Carlos not only takes care of F,S,&GK, but does a superior job taking care of the bees and the beehives! It was fun to see your Aug. 5th blog again today with D.J. Haverkamp and Carlos collecting that beautiful honey and seeing The Bedford Bee website-beautiful! This new blog post is fantastic and the photos are very informative! Seeing Carlos doing everything needed to save your bees through fall and winter was fabulous! I love learning all of these projects that your farm workers do-no wonder your farm is so beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing again! Sure hope you all have a great day! Now need to go see The Daily Wag's visit to Hardscrabble Farms! Love all that you do, Martha! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | September 21st, 2011 at 10:42 am
Martha, thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | September 21st, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Hi Martha,
Great lesson today! I wondered what would be left for the bees to eat when all of the honey was harvested but now I know. I agree that Carlos is becoming quite the bee keeper. It has to be an adventure working for you and being encouraged to learn other things as a bonus. If every one of your employees on the farm takes what they’ve learned from you home with them, that knowledge multiplies. (Known fact, I’m just stating). Anyway, I know when I get really gung-ho about something I learned from watching your show, everyone in the family hears about it whether they want to or not and then my nieces are suddenly painting things, and planting window boxes with little flowers or just cooking something really delicious. You’re a great teacher and your farm provides all the incentive/tools anyone needs to learn. I like seeing pictures of your equipment barn with all the other kinds of tools too. I browse that department at Home Depot quite often. Well, must go finish a plumbing job I started yesterday but had to quit when my back gave out. Trish
~
P. S. I received my Everyday Food magazine for October on Monday and I really like the One-Pot Meals and the Better-For-You-Bakes with fewer than 500 calorie dishes. Really yummy looking!
Posted by: Trish | September 21st, 2011 at 12:16 pm
I wonder how the bees get sugar in the wild? Interesting comment from Saudia Arabia.
Posted by: Kandy Maharas | September 21st, 2011 at 12:37 pm
This is an interesting post - Thanks for sharing. Do you all know when Martha's Halloween Special will be debuting on TV?
Posted by: Tyler | September 21st, 2011 at 4:38 pm
Hi Martha, I'm catching up on a lot of your posts. I realize how much I miss your blog when I get behind. You are always showing us interesting stuff. I recently heard a young American Fulbright Scholar speak on beekeeping in Turkey here in Istanbul. She is going to help rural female beekeepers in Eastern Turkey get their fabulous organic honey properly branded and marketed. She's an amazing writer, and like you, shows me stuff I may never experience myself. I thought you might enjoy it. http://tinyurl.com/4xm3nw7
Posted by: Karen | September 21st, 2011 at 10:13 pm
I really don't understand why all the honey is taken from the bees. I presumed enough honey was left for them to eat over winter. Wouldn't this be the humane thing to do, instead of taking all the honey and feeding them sugar water? I'm sure there are nutrients in honey that the bees need. This makes me sad.
Posted by: Vivian Price | September 22nd, 2011 at 11:37 am
I love the idea of bees, helping bees and who in their right mind could object to bees. But something tells me no matter how hard I would try, I would quickly become known as the producer of the world's worst honey.
Jeff
http://kidskonserve.com
Posted by: Jeff | September 22nd, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Dear Miss Stewart.Thank you. I loved your show. unfortunatle I do not get your show on my cable any more. I miss you very much. I love to listen to you speak. You have a way to captivate a audience, that is amazing.you inspirer me and lifed my soul. Thank you agian Miss Stewart. God Bless you and your family. From Canada, and with all my heart Randy Langlois.P.S I love to craft. Paper Macha Birds. I wish I could show you but I can't get the dare pics on my computer. Just started on my own computer in june. I'm 48. If that really matters. Thank you agaian randyroax@live.com
Posted by: Randy Langlios | September 25th, 2011 at 1:00 am
This is our first year with honey bees. Can not wait until we have our own delicious honey. Until then our wonderfulgiving neighbor shares his .
Posted by: Patty Cuoco-Schoen | September 26th, 2011 at 11:58 am
Some no read good. The bees make honey from natural nectar during Spring and Summer. After that delicious natural product is harvested, then and only then do the bees make honey for over-wintering from the provided and VERY conveniently located (atop the hive) sugar water. Win-win for everyone. Sugar water feeding stops before Winter. Bees keep hive from freezing using their body heat, like little furnaces in wintertime. Just enouh to stay alive. Very tough critters.
Posted by: Frank | October 1st, 2011 at 7:20 am
This is our second year to have bees. We have a "super" on top of the hive for them to fill with honey. this year was very dry and they only produced 10 quarts or honey. We were told they have the bottom hive for the winter and use goldenrod for the honey which makes a concentrated honey for the winter. But I am interested in sugar water as in what ratio of water to sugar? we love living in the country in Alabama.
Posted by: Joan | October 7th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
A lifetime is not enough to fully understand the world of bees.
Posted by: Honey | October 9th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
I love everything honey bee! For those who asked, the sugar water at this time of year is 50/50 water/sugar. It can be more concentrated but that seems to work. Once it starts to freeze, the beekeeper removes the liquid and replaces it with a "sugar patty". I make mine from vegetarian shortening and sugar. Happy keeping!
Posted by: Emily | October 25th, 2011 at 6:36 pm