The sugar syrup was almost completely gone. I removed the bag and after I did I pulled a few frames to see if there were any action in the hive box. I was thrilled to find that the bees were festooning off of the bottom of the frame just over the central hole in the tree trunk. This probably means that they are building wax and comb to allow them to move easily into the box.
I hope over the fall they will make the hive box more homey by working on some of the frames.
I put a new sugar syrup baggie on top of the frames and slit the baggie in two places. This is 2:1 syrup which is what you are supposed to feed this time of year.
The Odd Job people had reported that they had seen ants all over the tree and around the hive box. I put down a ring of cinnamon around the hive box. The ants can't get in below the plywood because I ran a ring of silicone caulk around the hole before I nailed the plywood down, but they can enter under the hive box. "Folks" say that cinnamon is an ant deterent, so I hope it works.
Congratulations, Linda! Sounds like the girls are settling in their new home.....I don't think the ants will be a problem. Am curious to know if the cinnamon works. I've also heard "folks" say a leaf from a black walnut tree will deter ants.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how much the bees will track into the honey?
ReplyDeleteI use only cinnamon and it always works for me. Of course, it probably depends on the type of ant and where you live.
ReplyDeleteAnnette from Placerville California
Good show, Linda! The girls look like they're adapting well. To touch on someting that Jane posted above, I have a huge black walnut tree in my back yard. I tried the black walnut leaves trick to rid my hive of bees. Total bust! I used cinnamon too -- and it seemed to work some. Its not a total cure, but it cut them down some. Good luck!
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