It went up to about 65 degrees yesterday, and it is almost as warm today. The hives were active and I actually saw workers returning with baskets full of pollen. There are some fall flowers out despite a week or so of killing frost. It looks to be a mild winter based on this warm weather in November. I found that the long range forecast for this area is slightly warmer than usual this winter with less snow than last year. The snow is not a big issue with the bees and I prefer more snow to less. I just have to make sure that the entrances are clear after a snow so they don’t suffocate. The screened bottom lets in enough air so that this should not be a problem, though. A lot of snow means moist ground in the spring and lots of flowers with a strong nectar flow and lots of Spring Honey.
I took the buckets that I used to collect the honey and brought them back for the bees to clean. They are very happy with this and I see very fat bees returning to the hives.
I put the hive entrance blocks on the hives last week when it started getting cold. I want to keep the drafts out of the hives. The bees did not seem to mind much and scrambled in and out of the openings without trouble.
I have not wrapped the hives or piled up the leaves around them, yet.
I tipped the hives to see how much honey they have. Just a push to see if they are heavy. They are very heavy, even the Russians. I see no reason why they should not make it through the winter.
I did not medicate them, but I have the Fumagilin and I will ponder using it. I would hate to lose a hive to Norsema, but I don’t want the stuff in the honey. Replacing a hive costs me $90, and I lose the honey crop for at least half the year while they build up. It may risk losing a hive rather than add Fumagilin. Fumagilin kills amoeba infections and has been used to treat cancer. It works great in honey bees. It is used on people, but large doses are considered toxic.
