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Last Week in the Apiary - 4th Week of November 2025

12/8/2025

A beehive hinged opened on a warmer fall day shows a cluster of bees in the center of the hive between and around the frames.

Bees clustered in the hive on a fall day. Photo by Eric Malcolm, November 25, 2025

Time in the Yard: 0 minutes
Total Colonies: 27
Avg Temp: 44.5°
Total Precipitation: 0.24”
Notes:
With the bees fed and treated, our next planned management will be to provide fondant as a back-up food source – just in case.

Actions:
No bee work done this week. Thanksgiving break.
Observations:
A quick off-site hive check on a warm day revealed a colony in a cluster.

Reflections:
We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are grateful for your support!

Things in bloom: Alyssum

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Last Week in the Apiary - 3rd Week of November 2025

12/2/2025

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A close up view at the corner of a beehive box with a hole, about the size of a quarter, where the wood has rotted and chipped away.

The worst of the damaged woodenware in the field. The bees used this hole as their primary entrance for the majority of the season. Photo by Eric Malcolm, November 12, 2025.

Time in the Yard: 0 minutes
Total Colonies: 27
Avg Temp: 45.2°
Total Precipitation: 0.48”

Actions:
No bee work done this week.

Observations:
With daytime highs becoming steadily cooler, we decided to hold off on replacing the damaged boxes in our operation until warmer weather to avoid disturbing the clustered colonies.

Reflections:
We are glad that we got the bees fed prior to the weather getting cold but wish we swapped the remaining damaged equipment sooner to provide a more weather tight structure for winter. We will apply duct tape as a temporary solution.

Things in bloom: Japanese Camellia, Sasanqua Camellia

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