Check your bee hives periodically!

[WRTN]

I just checked mine yesterday and caught a mold infestation before it got beyond the inner and outer covers. I also used this opportunity to sneek in a pollen/food patty into each hive. Did the best I could to get in and out FAST before they even realized I was there.

I think the top feeders cause the mold issue because of the entrapped humidity under the inner cover. The syrup in the top feeder was getting a bit of mold in it so I just removed the top feeder altogether. I may try putting them back towards Spring when things warm up a bit and try adding some clorox in SMALL dillution to help prevent mold in the future.

I had to spray everything down with clorox and wash it off and dry out the inner covers by the wood furnace. I then resprayed the wood with clorox and dried it out good by the wood furnace again and reinstalled in the hive. Hopefully this will hold the mold at bay. The inside frames in the hive all looked good and clean.

Anyhow, just a reminder and suggestion as we have a long ways to go until Spring and not to let your hives slip out of sight and out of mind. ;)

[LABeekeeper]

Hey WRTN,

I used to use hive top feeders until I discovered they can be death traps for bees despite all my screening of the feeder. Mold was also a problem too.

I now only use 1 gallon bucket feeders. Lid has fine mesh screen. I invert with screen and lid side down and put over opening in inner cover or piece of plywood in no inner cover. Then put a deep over the inner cover and the migratory cover on that.

No dead bees ever again. When adding sugar water or HFCS, you can do it with out exposing the hive to cold and virtually no disturbance.

Brushy Mountain Bee Farm has the buckets pretty cheap.

If you are located east of the Mississippi River, Brushy has free shipping except for truck shipment, glass, and back orders.

Mention SANTA ABJ or SANTA BC when ordering to get free the shipping.

Are you on BeeSource Bee forums?

[WRTN]

Hey WRTN,

I used to use hive top feeders until I discovered they can be death traps for bees despite all my screening of the feeder. *Mold was also a problem too.

I now only use 1 gallon bucket feeders. *Lid has fine mesh screen. *I invert with screen and lid side down and put over opening in inner cover or piece of plywood in no inner cover. *Then put a deep over the inner cover and the migratory cover on that. *

No dead bees ever again. *When adding sugar water or HFCS, you can do it with out exposing the hive to cold and virtually no disturbance.

Brushy Mountain Bee Farm has the buckets pretty cheap. *

If you are located east of the Mississippi River, Brushy has free shipping except for truck shipment, glass, and back orders. *

Mention SANTA ABJ or SANTA BC when ordering to get free the shipping.

Are you on BeeSource Bee forums?

I am using the Mann Lake top feeders which have the feeding area screened off and I caulk up the edges of the screen so the bees don't get under the screen. Works pretty good but the mold issue is still a problem.

Thanks for the suggestion! I give it a look.

Yes, I am on the BeeSource Bee fourms. Great forum with LOTS of info. and help for noobies to bee keeping like me. ;D ;)

I recently ordered some hive entrance screens to put a stop to the honey robbing attacks. They were real good quaility and work well.

By chance, do you have a picture of your 1 gallon bucket feeder?

[LABeekeeper]

No, but when I get parolled from office prison this evening, I'll take a pic of one of the bucket feeders and post.

I have the same hive top feeders from Mann Lake. I'll have to try your cauking idea on the feeder screens. Bees alway seemed to get in between the cover and the feeder, so I duct taped window screen over the tops of the feeders. Bucket feeders are so much more time saving as they cannot get into the sugar water. They suck the liquid through the mesh screen.

Actually snowed this AM here in south Louisiana. Don't think my Russians will be poking their heads out of the hives today. Hope my citrus fruit and trees in the below picture will be okay.

http://www.goldendelighthoney.com/snow_bees.jpg