Where does the time go? 10 days had passed since my first sugar dusting and here we are again.
Had some problems with robbing, after the first dusting. Whether that is due to the sugar dusting; sugar in the entrance, etc or due to the feed that I gave them the day later, I don’t know. We put the entrance block with a strip of tape blocking it up event more; left a little 2cm strip empty for the entrance, blocked both “eye holes” in both boxes with plumbers hair so it allows for the air to circulate. I used a little bit of Olbas oil/wick in the entrance – suppose to distract the robbers, also put a board in front when it was really bad,sprayed them with water.They kept it up for 2 days, seems like we had some fatal casualties but my bees are still flying for pollen and nectar.When I look from both sides of the entrance there is cluster of them hanging of the frames.They are flying and feeding.
I haven’t opened the hive up as we had cold/ rainy weather and I did not want to risk another robbing attack, I have fed them since then, I do it late in the day and try to give them enough to consume during the night. I have changed the entrance block; took the tape off, that will stay there now till next year along with the blocked super “eye hole”.
When I sugar dusted them today I decided to shake the whole amount on both boxes simultaneously, bees were agitated, left them for an hour before I took the sugar syrup down, there were some bees on the entrance eating off the sugar that has fallen through. Have to clean the Varroa floor tomorrow morning, so as not to invite robbers and check how many mites have fallen through.
The weather; temperature was around 16 degrees, single numbers during night, supposed to be 22 for the next two days and then cooling down again.