December 2020 Newsletter

DEC. 13, 2020

Royal Jelly

READ MORE: VARROA MITES - 1 WINTERIZING THE HIVE - 1 PLANTS FOR BEES 2

A NEWSLETTER FOR OUR ADOPT A HIVE CLIENTS!

Ben Mehaffey 904.348.0122

Dr. Jamie Ellis from the University of Florida discusses the history, distribution, and biology of the Varroa mite, Varroa destructor.

Preparing the Bees for a Florida Winter Things to consider: Reducing the cavity size of the hive - helps keep the brood warm.

Feeding the bees - make sugar bricks or 2:1 sugar syrup.

Reduce the size of the entrance to the width & height of two bees.

Below 50 degrees (+/- a few degrees), the bees do not fly.

Moisture is the biggest enemy of bees during the winter.

Create a wind block for your hives, & the entrance of the hive should not face NW. During the cold months, bees will cluster around the brood to keep it warm. While inspecting the hive, be careful not to break up the cluster.

Plants for Bees!

This guide includes a description of a few native plants that provide great food for bees and grow throughout most of Florida. It is taken from a larger Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services article.

First is butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). You might have seen this neon orange (but occasionally yellow) flowered perennial along roadsides or in drier natural areas.

Although it is a favorite in butterfly gardens, bees are also attracted to this multi-stemmed beauty.

Next, is beggarticks; Spanish needles,

Photo by Alex de la Paz, FDACS-DPI

on flowering and producing rewards

romerillo (Bidens alba). Yes, this is a notorious weed in the wrong place, but if there ever were a famine food for bees, this plant would be a prime candidate. In drought and cold and after mowing, this little weed keeps

Photo by Patti Anderson, FDACS-DPI

for insects. If you have a wild spot near the hives or don’t mind deadheading a few plants, this weed will reward you with its bounty. Some plant taxonomists consider Bidens alba and Bidens pilosa to be one species.

Photo from Shutterstock

Chamaechrista fasciculata –partridge pea was called Cassia fasciculata, Cassia chamaecrista and several other names before the current name was accepted. Older texts and a few plant nurseries might refer to this species as a Cassia.

Sabal palmetto – cabbage palm - Sabal palmetto, the state tree of Florida and South Carolina, has been used as food for humans as well as bees. The heart of palm, the terminal bud at the top of the stem or trunk, is edible, but removing the bud kills the palm—better to leave it for the bees.