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Post by breezygardener on Feb 8, 2015 14:02:01 GMT -5
Well, just like last year around this time, an unexpectedly warm day like today (62 at the moment) has brought hordes of honeybees to my bird feeders. I don't know what, if anything, they're gleaning from the seed mixes, but it must be something because they're at the feeders something fierce.
I have no idea where the hive is, but suspect it may be wild since the closest beekeeper to us is around 5 miles away & no closer neighbors keep bees. We do leave a lot of dead trees standing in our woodlot, & have had wild honeybees nesting in them before. And while we did have a honeybee swarm settle in our attic a few years ago, they didn't remain & are long gone.
I feel so badly for them & hope they find sustenance + their way home since temps later this week aren't even supposed to rise above freezing.
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 8, 2015 14:13:05 GMT -5
Do you have a hummingbird feeder? If so you can make a 50-50 mixture of sugar and water to make a syrup that they will eat. Heat the water almost to boiling first and the sugar will dissolve easily.
When it first got warm here last year I had bees swarming all over the coffee grounds at the compost pile. They can't really get anything from compost or birdseed, they are just searching for something to eat. Supplies may be running low in their hive.
When I saw that last year I put out a purchased product called pollen substitute but since you don't have that, you can try sugar syrup which is what we feed them in the spring.
If you don't have a feeder, they will come to a bowl or saucer but you should put something like a rock in the center to keep them from slipping in and drowning. They can't fly out if their wings get wet.
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Post by breezygardener on Feb 8, 2015 14:52:02 GMT -5
Okay, have a saucer with 50-50 sugar syrup & a rock out on the deck. Unfortunately, it's starting to get a bit breezy out (we're expecting a weather change to rain tomorrow) & it looks like the bees have left. But I left the saucer out anyway just in case.
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 8, 2015 15:36:54 GMT -5
They generally only come out when the temperature is above 45-50 degrees so try again on another warm day.
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Post by gakaren on Feb 8, 2015 17:24:00 GMT -5
I have a large, round, glass relish tray that has those little dividers sticking up in it. I use it when I feed them. They can crawl on all the dividers and I've never had one get stuck or drown in that thing.
I haven't seen any out yet and we hit 70º today.
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Post by James on Feb 9, 2015 14:03:37 GMT -5
Bees will fly when the temperature hits 55 degrees. A bucket is a good feeder. Put one gallon of sugar to one gallon of water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then float some wood chips on the surface for the bees to land on.
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