Bees!!!!

[shelleyd2008]

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Nothing is in bloom yet that I can see. We had really cold temps late last week, the kids only went to school 1 1/2 days because of snow. I'm hoping that walmart has some flowering plants right now so I can get the little fellas something to 'eat'.

 

[Keara]

Just checked a Bee forum and I guess bees like cracked corn! Mostly the dusty smaller particals, it is sweet and has protein they can use. Who knew..... learn something new every day. I will be putting some out for my bees today, it is warm and they should be out today!

 

[shelleyd2008]

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Bee forum? Good grief...there's a forum for everything!

They must especially like mine since it is ground corn!

 

[Keara]

Quote:
Bee forum? Good grief...there's a forum for everything!

They must especially like mine since it is ground corn!

Shelley

thanks, I learned something new today! and it's all your fault.

-Keara

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You didn't say whether these were your bees or from elsewhere.
I raise bees and the hives are inconveniently placed between the coops.
After so much cold weather the bees are just anxious to get out. They are hungry and thirsty. A strong hive should have reserves to last another month. The first couple of warm days after the freeze the my bees were everywhere on the coops, on me, on the snow.
Try to cover the feed and put sugar water 2:1 outside the coop/pen preferably in a brightly colored pan. They'll be attracted to a flower color or white and once they find it they'll alert the others where it is.
A pan of cut up fruit works too.
If you find the hive a local beekeeper would be happy to collect them. Try posting on craigslist.

 

[jasonm11]

Quote:
ask the bees, they can tell you

 

[Airplaneguy57]

I have bees in the girls feed also. I posted about this several weeks ago. The only feed in the container is pellets. The scratch I use is broadcasted. they don't seem to be bothered by their activity so I'm going to leave alone. The only problem I can see if they set up house on my property. If they do I will make a cone so they check out but won't be able to return. I saw it on Billy the exterminator.

 

[shelleyd2008]

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These are wild bees, I don't keep bees myself. I'll see what I can do about feeding them, I have no idea where their hive is. About what time would they go back to the hive? Maybe I can follow them?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They always fly straight out and straight back. They're back and forth all day long, though most are back for good before dark.
It's just that right now there isn't any natural food so they are just milling about aimlessly looking for moisture and something sweet.
I even see mine on freshly cut wood right now.
Trees are normally the first important blooming food source for bees. Witchhazel is something that should be blooming soon if not already.
They could be wild or they could be from someone else's hive. One of my neighbors has about 200 hives scattered around here on different properties and I would have never known if he hadn't told me.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Our closest neighbor is 1/2 mile away and I know he doesn't keep them. The next closest is over 1 mile away. As far as I know, there aren't any beekeepers near here. We are right next to a government preservation area so I'd imagine they are in some dead tree somewhere.

After I posted that I went back outside and most of them were gone already. So they apparently go back early before it starts to cool off for the evening.