Granya glory

Thought you might enjoy this postcard-like picture from Lake Hume. The trees on the opposite hillside were nearly clearer in the reflection on the lake, than looking at the hill itself!

Over the Queen's birthday long weekend (yes, over a month ago) we took a drive to Granya. A friend of my sister had inherited some beekeeping gear he didn't have a use for. We collected it, with a view to sharing it with others if we can use it, or finding another use (or at least recycling it) if it is beyond that. 

On the way home we were pulled over by a boy in blue (we presume he was a Tallangatta-based cop) who was just checking we had a legitimate reason for carting gear around the countryside on a long weekend. Good to see neighbourhood watch in action! He threw in a licence check and asked Build-It Bloke to blow into the bag ... both of which were no drama, of course!

Leaving honey for the bees

Our hive inspection in late autumn revealed two fairly full supers (boxes) and a top super with little in it at all. For those honey affectionardos waiting to sample our bees' efforts, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until at least next season.

While there was quite a lot of capped honey in the lower boxes, to raid those could mean there's not enough left for the bees to get through winter.

Put yourself in the bees' shoes, so to speak. It's a pretty big challenge for bees to keep warm over winter. As with everything else they do, they achieve this by working together and sharing 'jobs' that ensure the survival of the colony. They form a tight huddle (cluster), move their wing muscles to keep warm and take turns at the outside of the huddle, which is the coldest place to be. Bees that aren't actively 'heating' provide insulation for those that are. Impressively, the bees maintain their brood temperature at about 35 degrees celcius, not just here (where we get a few frosts and what we think are chilly days) but even in locations that see snow, sometimes for months. They don't forage if it's too cold, so all their energy needs have to be able to be met from within the hive. Hence, their stores of honey and pollen.

So we removed the top box and left the bees with their honey stores. As the weather cooled and the foraging decreased, we also reduced the entrance, which helps keep the warmth in and the cold out.

On mild autumn days we've still seen plenty of action around the hive entrance. But when the temperatures are low, or it's raining, the bees stay inside and work at keeping warm.