As the saying goes; Necessity is the mother of invention (or in this case, innovation).   As the weather got cold, so did the sugar water I was feeding the bees. If the water is too cold, the bees can’t drink it. Since they don’t have honey stored, this is a problem.  They do have solid fondant food, but that’s not their favorite.  

I had this idea that what I needed was some way to keep the water warm, even when the temperature outside is cold.  It didn’t take much online research to find this warming wrap intended for fermentation. It is now set to 65° and wrapped around the two mason jars.  An extension cord to keep it plugged in all the time.  

Instead of straight sugar water, I’ve started I including some honey to the mix as well to give them some nutrition in addition to calories. Interestingly, you should only feed the bees own honey back to them because of diseases that can be transmitted between colonies  

Not much happens with beekeeping in the winter, so that’s all for now!