Hate to go on about the weather BUT

[Norbo]

Yesterday it was so cold and has been for weeks the pond was frozen 6 inch thick you could walk on it so battery cold . To day its so work out side i have every window in the house open to let the work air in . all the windows and surfaces have condensation on them from the worm air ./ IUll leave them open a for a couple of hours until every were is dry and worm but cant help but wonder were this warmth has come from when yesterday you could see your breath in the kitchen and now i have the windows open .

[steve h]

The 2 bee hives in the garden are active today.....
But if it's warm they will be out foraging, they will use up energy finding nothing, then will deplete their winter stores within the hive.
We feed them fondant, the stuff used in cake making as they can starve to death quite quickly in these warm conditions.

Unseasonal weather can throw a spanner in the works for flora and fauna too. Just before the cold snap I saw cherry trees starting to blossom.

[Norbo]

do you put stuff out for the bees then to keep them alive
Its cool that you keep bees id live a hive for next year

[dc]

Dec 19, 2022 17:10:59 GMT 1 steve h said:

The 2 bee hives in the garden are active today..... :

I have honey most days, nearly always at breakfast and often in Fage honey yogurts. Have a few jars of Littleover in stock too. Sounds like a prepper 😱


There are some hives at an RHS garden I visit sometims, always take a look, very interesting. 👍

[Dave B]

I went into the garage yesterday, (working on Norbo's 80LC!). I'm glad I did. For the previous week everything had been sub-zero, so when the warm moisture-laden air came in, all the bikes and parts were wet through with condensation. I had to dry the 80 motor off with a towel! I left the bikes outside all day and they were fine when I put them back at the end of the day.

If you have not seen your bike since the cold spell, it's worth checking to see if it needs drying off.

[steve h]

Dec 20, 2022 9:37:19 GMT 1 Norbo said:

do you put stuff out for the bees then to keep them alive
Its cool that you keep bees id live a hive for next year

The fondant feed goes into the hive and sits on the frames that the bees store honey in.
If you have a spare hour every week (excluding winter) give it a thought. There will almost certainly be a local society who can provide the beginners course, and you will find that they are very helpful and encouraging, so you wont be just left to your own devices if you do get a hive. And having them in your garden is by far the best way to have them, as you can keep an eye on them

[veg]

It’s something my wife and I are really keen on couple of our friends keep them. I’ve a paddock next to the house I want to turn into a wildflower meadow.

[steve h]

If I lived closer.........

[veg]

I will deffo pick your brain Steve if that’s ok. We have a woman round the corner that’s hugely into her bees
www.beefayre.com/about-beefayre/

[rigga]

Wife's work place have a couple of bee hives in the garden, even had days when the workers kit up and remove the contents .

Housing charity which is part of Cadbury's, unusual I think.

[dc]

Dec 20, 2022 11:01:53 GMT 1 Dave B said:

I went into the garage yesterday, (working on Norbo's 80LC!). I'm glad I did. For the previous week everything had been sub-zero, so when the warm moisture-laden air came in, all the bikes and parts were wet through with condensation. I had to dry the 80 motor off with a towel! I left the bikes outside all day and they were fine when I put them back at the end of the day.

If you have not seen your bike since the cold spell, it's worth checking to see if it needs drying off.

I went to the garage this morning, noticed that the steel cabinets attracted a layer of moisture but my bike which is covered by a thin Aldi silver and black cover was dry, almost cocooned so the cold air did not hit it. Had I removed the cover, the shocks, exhausts etc. would also have a layer but it's stayed dry all day. The cabinet are dry too now.

[donkeychomp]

I do like bees. About 3 months ago I seeded the garden with wild flowers. Hoping next spring they'll come alive and I can get a load of bees visiting. As for the weather...11c here. Better than the -4c two days ago.

Alex

[steve h]

Allium Sphaerocephalon. You can plant them in a pot Alex. Great for bees, they attract more bees than any other bee friendly plant in my garden.



DSCF0085 by Ernest Stoppage, on Flickr

[donkeychomp]

I was just about to buy some Steve but it says plant in Autumn! Oh well, next year then!

Alex

[steve h]

Dec 22, 2022 23:20:19 GMT 1 donkeychomp said:

I was just about to buy some Steve but it says plant in Autumn! Oh well, next year then!

Alex

It's ok to plant them now or later. I've planted them in spring, the ones in the pic were planted in March

[donkeychomp]

In that case I'll go order some!

Alex

[scootjockey]

My late mam used to keep lavender plants in the front garden, a bloke few doors down used to keep bees and always said the honey tasted and had a lavender smell. I remember seeing loads of bees on the bushes all summer

[dc]

Remembering this, I specifically went to check some hives and saw three or four bees coming and going on each. Was about six degrees today. Not easy to get a photo but I caught one on this.

[steve h]

Visited one of our sites at the weekend, and the bees were doing the same. Here in Lancs we are always weeks behind the southern bee keepers. Down there they will be putting hives on rapeseed in a few weeks, before our bee colonies up here have started to expand.