The autumnal equinox has now passed and we are officially in fall. During the equinox, the sun crosses the “celestial equator”—an imaginary line or extrapolation of Earth’s equator line into space. The equinox occurs precisely when the sun’s center passes through this line. When the sun crosses the equator from north to south, this marks the autumnal equinox.
Now is the time that bees are bringing in pollen and whatever nectar is left to store for winter. That is why Big Cedar Farm only harvests honey once per year.
Now is the time to consider feeding a 2:1 sugar syrup but that depends on how much they have stored already. It is a balancing act. You don’t want to feed too much syrup in fear of getting the hive honey bound.
This is also the time when queen bees begin to reduce their egg production. “Winter bees” will be coming soon. All of this is done without looking at a calendar to see what changes are coming.
Bees are fascinating creatures and I look forward to continuing to share these facts with you.
Enjoy your fruits and vegetables and thank a bee for making it happen.