Beekeeping Update December 2017

Have been keeping hefting the hives, listening occasionally to hear the buzz of a live colony. Check for feed replenishment on a warm day. Between Christmas and New Year on a warm day– opened up the hive and take 5ml of Oxalic Acid and drip it between each frame of bees. This is an effective varroa reduction practice only possible in winter when the queen is not laying.

Looked through my year records and recognised the mistakes I made. No beekeeper is perfect. Made a point of not making the same mistakes again. I tried to keep a small colony going on its own but it did not have that critical mass to survive the winter, I should have combined it with another in October!