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We offer a beekeeping starter kit for newbee beekeepers which includes all of the beginner bee tools and hives you need to get started.
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****YES! We now stock 30-42 frame extractors, honey pumps, wax comb extruders 50kg/hr processing ability and more... ****
The End Game: Winter is Here!
~ May of 2019! ~ In the South, it's coming to an end... The evenings are cooler and the sun sets earlier every day. Winter is here!
There's also a frantic buzz by the bees to get their final harvest in from any last minute flowers in bloom and crops like Blueberries. As beekeepers, we should prepare for potential feeding of small colonies with sugar water using entrance feeders (available at the shop) or feeding stations around your hives in neutral placements using pebbles, marbles or stones in a bowl with sugar water. This can be done weekly.
Also use this time of year to do clearing of the apiary site(s) you manage. By doing so you enable: - Bees get a clear flight path to and from the hive
- Fire breakers
- Less chance of snakes, mice and other critters around your hives
- Better management by you with easier access and more safety to your bee suit when working
There's more details on this further down...read on!
We've helped people start pollinating businesses, bee removal businesses, honey production and even other shops - simply because we can bee more together!
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We hope you had warm memories and great times with your family and friends over the April Easter season.
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~ Bees and The End Game -------------->
This time of year is referred to as the END of Summer in beekeeping lingo [southern hemisphere]. It's the perfect time for you to consolidate your apiary management and reflect on the beekeeping year.
Tools for Winter
# Entrance feeders for 500ml bottles of sugar water # Storage of excess honey # Maizena pollen substitute - blue book has a recipe (got stock) # Beeswax can be made into candles, wax sheets or lip balm # Pollination of blueberries # Keep a sharp eye on small or weak colonies that aren't established enough to survive a winter quarter and need feeding # Transfer smaller colonies into catch boxes if they have built less than 5 frames in a hive # For hobby beekeepers, try place your colonies in full sun and out of low lying positions due to frost and cold night time chills over the winter
Entrance feeders and external feeding is a good practice to be putting to use over this period to boost new colonies after swarming. By watching them, you can get a good indication of what your bees are gathering and bringing back to the hive. Usually there will be yellow or red pollen coming back with foragers. If no pollen is noticed then it is very likely that forager was collecting nectar and or water for the colony.
If you can see pollen being brought in then it is very unlikely that they need pollen feeding or a pollen substitute. Remember although bees require pollen in their diet to keep themselves warm and feed the young larvae, the important thing is that during this time all energy is usually utilised for brood conservation as the bees slow down with the change of season.
Egg laying drops off and sometimes drones are also expelled from the hive to conserve colony resources over the weeks to come. Rather than laying 1500-2000 eggs a day in the peak of the season, the queen bee will cut back to about 500 eggs a day with very little focus on drones.
Bees also live longer over the winter period as they are working less and conserve energy unless there is a high quality source of pollen and or nectar nearby. From an average lifespan of 35 days at their peak season they can live passed 60 days during the off season.
ALERT:> Ants can become a major risk when feeding sugar water to so make sure not to spill sugar water around or in the hive. USE Nip-It nearby to your hives to keep ants away from your apiary.
P.S. We also feel it is important to inform customers that our contact details by phone line are 012 771 4288 and 012 757 5538 to speak with TJ and Shirley or contact Shirley on 083 308 0042 at the Bee WARE Centurion Shop.
Our email address is buzz@beeware.co.za at the shop.
Contact details for Bee WARE
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