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10th September, 2008 - Aromatherapy For Bees Now that the honey harvest is over and the nectar flow is well in decline, it's time to start preparing the bees for winter.
In the UK news this year, much has been said about the varroa mite which has caused havoc for the UK industry.
In this part of France, the varroa mite has been around for quite a few years and preventative treatments are now part of the norm.
In essence, there are 2 ways of preventing the varroa mite - chemical strips or essential oils.
Given that we, fortunately, do not have the varroa mite in either of our hives (the main one and the "training" hive)we have chosen to go with the aromatherapy route.
The treatment consists of a small lump of a wax like substance which is very pungent (a bit like Olbas Oil) - the bees eat this wax and the oils then permeate through their bodies.
At the same time as administering the treatment, the training hive (the one that Dan used at Bee School) is not very strong, with under 6,000 bees and only 3 frames of food. Although this is normal for a training hive, it does mean that the bees will not last through the winter without help.
Consequently, Dan inserted a pack of 'candy' in the top of their hive. The candy resembles icing sugar and the bees will probably get through 2 packets between now and Spring - at which point, they will be transferred into their new hive and start the honey making process. View The Blog Read All Bee Stories |
