So here is the embarrassing truth: I forgot my password to get back into this blog. Duh! I had written it down somewhere, but well, couldn't remember where I'd put it. Reverse engineered my way back to it somehow and here we are.
So my bees are at risk of starvation - not both hives, just Elizabeth who swarmed first, back in the early summer. Since she took off before the main nectar flow and left her daughters no queen and a diminished workforce, they didn't build up enough honey storage to get through fall, let alone winter. My bee mentor advised me to feed them as much sugar water as they will take.
Kathryn, on the other hand, swarmed late in the season, so she left a super full of honey. Happy hive: apparently one should go into the winter with at least one full honey super. I am feeding both hives to get them through the fall and get stores enough for the cold.
Interesting the difference that the timing of swarming makes. Always something going on.
