Well, we finally got some rain in the Baltimore area over the last few days. The plants have really needed it because it has been very dry and hot over the last month. Today was the first day that almost felt like fall. On the bright side, the rain was more like mist, so I decided to go out and feed the bees in the mid-afternoon.
As I mentioned before, it’s getting late in the season and the bees are storing up food for the winter. This post will provide some quick photos on how I make Bee Syrup. It is not that much different from Mick’s large-scale method except there are no power tools involved.
To make Bee Syrup, I use the following items:
- Granulated Sugar (Regular white sugar)
- Essential Oils (Lavender, Lemon Grass, and Tea Tree Oil)
- Water (tap, but some people use distilled water)
- Optional: Honey B Healthy
- Optional: Apple Cider Vinegar
The mixture is quite easy since it is essentially sugar water, and I add 10-15 drops of each essential oil to the mix and then add sugar at 2 to 1 ratio. I then mixed the sugar with the slightly boiling water and stir for a few minutes. Next, I pour the mix into recycled jars since I have only a few hives and I use a frame feeder which only holds 1 gallon of feed in each hive which requires more frequent feedings.
Since it was raining today, the bees were pretty docile. However, I had one or two guard bees approach me, but no drama (ie no stings). I would like to think they were happy to get the syrup and let me off easy 🙂 Below are some photos of the hives today.
Check in again soon for more updates!
Michelle
BeeMore 
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