Honey Popsicles

[Cindy]

My bees looked really hot the last few days.
I decided to make them some ice to help cool things off. Added a drizzle of honey.
They seem to appreciate it. Any other ideas for cooling them off ?
Mine are beardingnlike crazy!
Its hot out there!
Cindy

[BeeMaster2]

Just provide a water source near the hives. They are quite capable of cooling down the hive if they have water. They like slow moving water the best especially if it has a unique smell.
Jim Altmiller

[Cindy]

We have an artesian spring in the next town over. I bet they would lke some of that.
What do you mean by unique smelling?
Cindy

[FloridaGardener]

Hi Cindy,
I'd be really careful about leaving honey out in the open.

1. Invites robbers.  I had a few robbers yesterday - fighting and spinning bees when I opened a hive.  And that's with sabal palm blooming everywhere and lots of action with the foragers.   There simply are opportunists and I don't want Trouble.

2.  If you aren't using your own honey, it could have AFB or something else that could exterminate your apiary.  There's plenty of research showing AFB in supermarket honey. No kidding, it happened at a friend's house. All had to be burned.

3. Ants. Roaches. Wasps that kill bees.

I use slices of natural sponges in a tray.  They love it, and seem to like 'em better, the more mossy they get.  I wash the sponges with bleachy water every week or two, rinse thoroughly, then refill with tap water.

There's some evidence that bees like calcium from a piece of concrete or seashell - perhaps something to include in the water tray.

[BeeMaster2]

I have a 3 tier cement fountain in my back yard. I keep it running all the time. It has algae growing in it and it hangs from the tiers. I?m sure it has a unique smell that the water bearers can share with other bees to bring in more water.
In order to keep it running, I put a hose in it on a timer that runs for 2 minutes every day.
Jim Altmiller

[Cindy]

There is a deep creek about 30 feet away and I have a birdbath with stones in it,
plus I made a sandy area that I am keeping moist. They seem to like that
Yesterday my busy hive was bearding in front, back and sides of the hive and
they were humming louder than usual.
Cindy

[BeeMaster2]

Cindy,
First, do you have drones in your hives? Are there other beekeepers within 5 miles of you. Having drones indicates that other hives have drones for your virgin queen to mate with drones from other hives a mile or more from your hives. If the answer is how to both, then you can split your hive and let the old hive make a new queen. If you have a good flow on through summer it will not bee a problem. You want to make it strong enough to make it through any dearth and winter. If it is a large hive, take the queen and half of the frames of brood and honey.
Jim Altmiller

[Bob Wilson]

I also have a algae covered birdbath the bees love. Even more than the lake across the street. But when I refill it with hose water, or spray it out, it seems the bees avoid it the next day.

[BeeMaster2]

Bobil,
When you refill it, it doesn?t smell the same.
Jim Altmiller

[ed/La.]

As hot as it is I could use one of those honey Popsicles. Perhaps I will refine the recipe using some fruit or juice.

[Bob Wilson]

Jim, I figured. I thought about just a small topping up of the water each night, poured gently in the middle, keeping the algae around the outside. I may have to move the fountain. It is next to the BBQ grill, and sometimes it is getting crowded with bees.

[BeeMaster2]

Bobil,
We?re talking about fountains and during a storm last our power went out. This morning the pump was off. I figured the ground fault had tripped. Turns out the motor quit.  Time to get a new motor.
Jim Altmiller

[Bob Wilson]

$$$. I hope the bees are paying you back.

[Cindy]

Yes, there are Drones in my hives but do not know of any honey bee hives within 5 miles.
One of the main reasons I started bee keeping was because of how few pollinators there are
in this area. I have a large organic garden and for the last few years have only seen 2, sometimes 3,
bumble bees in my garden regularly. On occasion a honey bee, but rarely.
I was actually using a feather to pollinate at times.
Its amazing the difference this year with the honey bees.
An abundance of raspberries, mulberries, apples, currents,
gooseberries, service berries, aronia, blueberries, blackberries, etc, etc.
My neighbors have even commented on how they have never seen this kind of abundance!
Edibles are fruiting like crazy, thanks to the honey bees!
I appreciate them. I hope I can be a good steward so they can continue to make a difference here.
Cindy

[Bob Wilson]

Here is a picture of my bees in my bird fountain. I have ceased to clean it out periodically. I just let the moss grow, although the birds have stopped using it so much now.