Bees need food!

Cans of Ambrosia syrup ready to feed colonies of honeybees.

​SBKA Vice President & Quantock Division Secretary - Ken Edwards - is urging all Somerset beekeepers to check their bees urgently. 
​
In the late Spring the bees did brilliantly! Built up well, had surplus stores and the omens were good. Then the weather changed, and the high population of bees meant that there were a lot of mouths to feed.
Colonies with two full supers  just survived by eating most of the honey. Weaker colonies have either died out or are starving. 
A number of our members are reporting/asking for advice about bees that are barely moving on empty combs. To help them to recover, make up some 1 : 1 syrup and spray it over the bees with a trigger garden spray. This will help them recover - almost instantly.  Also feed the bees with a 1 : 1 (or thicker) syrup.
 
Be cautious about other bees and wasps robbing your hives.
Keep entrances small, and make sure that your feeders do not leak.

If you need further advice call me on 01278 671544 or email me on our new email address, [email protected] [Please note that our old address of [email protected] is no longer available.]
 
Reproduced by kind permission of Ken Edwards

---