First, I want to apologize for my delinquent postings. The election here in IL drove me to distraction. Also, I've been working on my other blog since my trip abroad this summer. That being said, let's get into the topic for this month: Krabby Patties and winter feeding.
I hadn't heard of the Krabby Patty for feeding bees over the winter, but once it was put out there, it made a lot of sense. I've had mixed results with the candy boards.
So last weekend I put one on one of my hives. I've got a candy board on the other one and I'll report back and let you know how the bees like the Krabby Patty.
I hadn't heard of the Krabby Patty for feeding bees over the winter, but once it was put out there, it made a lot of sense. I've had mixed results with the candy boards.
So last weekend I put one on one of my hives. I've got a candy board on the other one and I'll report back and let you know how the bees like the Krabby Patty.
I don't know how these got the name: Krabby Patty. And it's been a personal pledge of mine to keep the kids from watching inane shows like Sponge Bob, but that's where the name comes from some how.
There are several variations to the recipe for the Krabby Patty. I'll tell you mine shortly. But what Steve has loaded on the site here is a great place to start.
I used the recipe on the site, but swapped out pancake syrup for the water to make the mixture more sticky: More candy-like. I inserted two 1" x 1" x 4" sticks into the bag. These allow the bag to sit on top the frames without sliding down. ( As winter peaks and spring gets closer, I'll put some protein in with the sugar.)
I then put three or four 3 inch long slits in the package. I opened the hive. The bees did not appreciate that I was letting the 35 degree air into their comfy zone.
There are several variations to the recipe for the Krabby Patty. I'll tell you mine shortly. But what Steve has loaded on the site here is a great place to start.
I used the recipe on the site, but swapped out pancake syrup for the water to make the mixture more sticky: More candy-like. I inserted two 1" x 1" x 4" sticks into the bag. These allow the bag to sit on top the frames without sliding down. ( As winter peaks and spring gets closer, I'll put some protein in with the sugar.)
I then put three or four 3 inch long slits in the package. I opened the hive. The bees did not appreciate that I was letting the 35 degree air into their comfy zone.
So I quickly placed the patty on the frames, and put wadded newspaper all around the rest of the super to absorb excess moisture.
If you look close, you can see the patty near the top center of the super.
If you look close, you can see the patty near the top center of the super.
| Next, I put the inner cover on and put some sticks around the inside top to add some additional ventilation. You are probably wondering why: too much moisture gets in and it forms drops of cold water, which drip down on the bees and they freeze to death. The newspaper and the extra ventilation prevent this. So, there's the completed project. I'll check on them this weekend and see if they liked it, and report back to you with a follow-up blog post. Until then, see you around the hive! tim |  |
RSS Feed
