Summer season got here again in October – phrase had reached her of the ‘backwinter’. The bees made the many of the ‘backsummer’. The hive entrance was too busy to placed on mouseguards as foragers flew house with baskets of yellow pollen.
Nevertheless, a fast inspection confirmed that nectar was out of inventory. I crammed the syrup feeders, and crammed them 5 occasions once more in October, and the bees drank up each final drop.
Since then I’ve been unable to go to the apiary and my husband John, my mum Ronnie, and Ealing beekeeper Thomas have placed on mouseguards and fondant for winter.
Within the backyard, the salvia was pleasing just a few late bumble bee queens, the orange buddleia was nonetheless blooming for the carder bees, and the spiders have been attempting to catch the final honeybees visiting the snowberry.
October is an effective time for a backyard tidy-up earlier than the bottom will get too moist or arduous. John and I completed the weeding began in September, whereas John laid plastic sheeting and gravel over probably the most cussed areas of weed, and I mulched the flower beds with comfortable bark chippings and fallen leaves.
Gravelling and mulching could sound very unfriendly to bees, and different wildlife, however I’ve discovered that many bee-friendly vegetation will develop fortunately in-between and that slowing down the expansion of weeds (with out utilizing chemical compounds) leaves extra time for different wildlife -friendly actions. Corresponding to emergency bee rescues.
John discovered a carder bee frozen nonetheless on the backyard hose. I made her a heat nest for the evening from rolled-up corrugated cardboard and put her within the shed. The subsequent morning she had sugar water for breakfast earlier than flying off.
Our ivy had solely begun to flower on the finish of October, however fewer bees have been visiting. Who will likely be left to take pleasure in it?
