April Danann's - Honey Bee Tea

Honey Bee Tea

We’ve decided to feed our bees, mainly because we are not at all certain they are getting the food requirements necessary to sustain them. Another reason is that we have seen them become weaker over these past 5 years with more losses and smaller hives with fewer stores of honey.

Critical point has long been reached.

We add mushrooms to our Honey Bee Tea because we have seen the extensive research on how beneficial these organisms are to both humans and bees, in particular the Immune Strengthening properties of medicinal mushrooms. It’s as simple as steeping mushrooms in hot water for ½ hour along with the herbs….

The plastic feeders are probably better suited – the bees are able to cling on the sides more efficiently, however the bees don’t like plastic. A wooden feeder is preferred because it is natural material – rough up the sides to enable them to cling to the surface and not fall into the sugar syrup. Or use an inverted container with small holes in the bottom, either way get started with a method that works for you and your bees. 

Ingredients:

•    16 cups white cane sugar (raw cane sugar gives them diarrhoea)

•    6 cups hot tap water

•    2 cups strongly brewed chamomile, dandelion and/or thyme tea

•    ¼ to ½ teaspoon mineral salt

•    Mushrooms steeped in with herbs (shitake, miatake, oyster etc.)

•    1 – 2 drops therapeutic grade Essential oil of thyme or oregano (optional)

Method:

•    Dissolve sugar and salt in 6 cups hot/chlorine free water and stir until gains are gone

•    Boil 2 cups water, pour over tea, and let it steep (covered) for 10-15 minutes

•    Gently mash & stir mushroom/tea mixture, strain carefully then add to sugar water

•    Mix together gently by hand for about 3 minutes

•    Fill feeders (wooden is best)

We use therapeutic grade Essential Oils to boost properties of the sugar solution and also to discourage any mold growth in the short term, inside the hive. Make sure there is a float for the bees to land on in the frame feeder. Monitor the feeders closely for wasps, damage, mold and usage. Change out herbs from time to time – use elder flower, hawthorne flower, rosemary and so forth for many different health benefits.

 

Danann Design Top Bar Bee Hive with viewing glass

Come On, Bee A Rebel!     

Thinking outside the box

The standard beehive, as most people know, is a square box. This box contains all the latest and greatest in beekeeping technology, but still just an ugly square box. No wonder then, the growing interest in a hive that does not look like a box or even a hive for that matter.

Top Bar Hives buck the trend of sticking with what everybody else is doing. They are so different from standard commercial hives that most beekeepers scoff at the very idea that they could even work. When in fact, its the Top Bar Hive that has been around for hundreds of years and the commercial hives that are the new and strange way of beekeeping.

The basis of the Top Bar Hive design lies in the simple hollowed out log, which was used by early beekeepers to create a copy of the naturally formed hives found in old hollow logs or hollow tree trunks. These are the same bees that get into your attic space and set up house. These bees are not looking for a box to move into, a box is not a natural shape. What the bees are looking for is a sheltered spot to build their hive without risk of disturbance.

Bees forced to live in a modern box are under stresses that include crowding, dampness, lack of proper ventilation, diseases, pests, toxins and removal of most of their precious winter stores. (The winter stores are then replaced with a sugar water that offers no nutrition) All these symptoms of box life result in a far weaker hive population that is easily susceptible to disease and parasites.

Its no wonder that people are looking for an alternative to the box and Top Bar Hives are the answer for a steadily growing collection of beekeepers that are looking for a better way of keeping bees healthy.

Top Bar Hives - Thinking outside the box

Bee Garden Planning

April has asked me to contribute regularly to this Bee Blog and I will do my best to do so every day.

Planning a garden with Bees in mind means just being aware of what the Bees need throughout the year. Bees will fly every day that they can, weather permitting, even in mid-winter. If the winters day is mild and the sun is shinning on the hive entrance, then the Bees will venture out to see what they can find. 

Having a range of plants that provide nectar and pollen at different times of the year will ensure the bees can find sustenance at crucial times such as late winter / early spring and autumn / early winter.

One of the most important things to remember is to avoid spraying weed killers of any sort as Dandelions and wild flowers are a very important food source for Bees (and countless other insects).  

A simple list of important flowers for Bees would contain the following:

Dandelion, Forget me not, Wildflower mix, Snowdrop, Crocus, Daffodils, Hyacinths, Ivy, Heather, Catmint, Fushia, Hyssop, Hollyhock, Lavenders, Loostrife, Sage, Thyme and Tulip

Flowering trees make up a large part of the Bees' interest as well, Butterfly tree (Buddleja) and Lime trees being noted favorites.

More on this subject on another day,

Regards,

Max

One with Nature

Today is a lovely but cold day in West Cork - the kind that promises spring is near, but to hold off on the celebrations for another little while. For those of us who are bee keepers - we are watching our hives closely as the bees come out for a few minutes on days such as these.

We love to see the bees! Actually, it warms our hearts to know that the hives have survived another winter and are here once again with us. Living, thriving and warming to the sun's rays - in the same way we are.

But, it's more then this. Perhaps there is also some very deep connection to hidden aspects of ourselves. Parts of us are also warming to the sun's heat - we are waking up too. Along with the ground, the plants pushing up from the soil and the bees poking out to see the emerging world...

It is very much like our world at this time of year. The heat from the sun increases our vitamin D stores, brings back our immune function and after these winter months we are renewed in spirit and health. We are part of this cycle - nature has not excluded us from her embrace....

We are One with the bees on days such as this.....

Dried Sage from the garden - our bees love the tiny purple flowers....

Gardening with Bees in Mind...

Today was another day that was a bit of a disaster as far as weather is concerned .... wow the amount of rain that came down in the last 24 hours is unreal. But, we cope and hopefully someday will dry out! LOL

It was also a day of mucking around in the garden, the air is warm and it was nice to get out there to see what is starting to burst up through the soil. I love this time of year with it's promises of all that is to come from a healthy growing garden.

Planning the garden is something that many bee keepers take fairly seriously with a few flowers and herbs that bees love I like to plant my herbs because it strengthens them as well as us. But there are many other plants they benefit from too. 

Flowering plants such as sunflowers, lavender and marigold flower either at different times or can be staggered to have something in bloom during the entire summer season. And in early spring any of the crocus, daffodils and snowdrops can be planted to give the bees a little head start.

Fruit trees and shallow pools of clean water are also helpful to have around for the bees.... Just keeping them in mind when planning your garden can go a long way!

Top Bar Bee Hive 

Herbs to Strengthen and Survive...

Today was not a bee day - however, they are certainly being discussed everywhere I go. With all the talk and attention being paid to the plight of the bees, it should all start to come together for them, one way or another.

One conclusion we have come to in our own journey with our bees - is how they need hardy, native  plants in the local vicinity in order for them to thrive. It's always a great idea to plant anything bee friendly however - so if you are planning your garden this year, keep them in mind as well.

As for me, my passion lies with the herbs and I am thrilled when our bees arrive to sample the many flowers and blooms on the thyme, sage, marigold and various other favourites around the garden. This year I hope to expand it a little bit more to give them an even better foraging range.

Herbs strengthen us - and I am certain they do the same for the bees.