You might be asking, What the heck is a Dearth anyway?
I like that word, dearth. It sounds so ominous and it can be for your bees. To a honeybee, a dearth is a shortage of nectar producing flowers. Here in Texas we experience a Summer nectar dearth, a hot dry period between Spring flowers and the bloom again in Fall.
Now before I became a bee keeper, call me clueless, but I didn’t even think about nectar. I loved watching the bees with their pollen sacs full, so full that I was surprized they could take off at all! However nectar, or lack of it, didn’t even enter my mind. Surprisingly, even when you can see blooms around you they might not be a good source of nectar for your bees.
A Summer dearth can be devastating to a colony because it hits when population in the hive is at an all time high. All those active bees need to eat A LOT! Your bees can go through their food stores quickly. What do they do when they run out of food? They go rob the weakest hive in the vicinity!
So if you have a new Spring hive, just building up it is the time to be on guard for robbers!
Watch the video to see the best design for a top bar robber screen and how it works. See how we feed our bees during this dearth. Also see how we adapted the top bar to fit a Beetle Blaster trap to defeat the small hive beetle. Enjoy!
I wonder if a dearth isn’t the reason we didn’t get more honey… I really want to make sure we have more flowers for pollination planted next year. Maybe this is a good reason to get on that!
Maybe so, I know the weather makes a big difference in honey production. Yes many of the wildflower seeds go down before Winter because they need a little chill. I should do a post on that!
Hello Dash. I am a homesteader, 71 yo, in Oak Cliff on a erstwhile soil barren hill near Wynnewood to which I have added an average of 1 yard of compost per year for 30 years plus many yards of other soil amendments. Sore joints from landscape work and unsettled questions robbed me of sleep tonight so I took a OTC pain pill, drank some Chamomile and went online in search of the best breeds of tomatoes for growing in Dallas. StartPage search engine, gotta love it, brought me to your article. Thank you so much. Next Spring I will be putting in Sweet 100 which happens to be my favorite. Your seasoned suggestions are more than welcome.
Concerning honeybees: In the Summer of 2009 while I worked on a back yard project and munched a cold watermelon a honeybee came to enjoy the melon. 10 minutes later the melon was covered with honeybees. VOILA!! I decided to start feeding them and a years long project was born. The feeder system is my invention that developed over a 3 year period as I studied honeybee management at a number of sites. During the annual “dearth” as you so aptly call it, I provide a balanced and medicated nutrient syrup in 18 square feet of feeder trays covered with 1/4″ mesh landing nets. They can cart away 4 gallons of my Happy Honeybee Ambrosia in 3 hours. 4 species of honeybee have been regulars. No I do not keep hives due to lack of space and time. Instead I have fun studying and befriending them. You probably know already that they recognize their benefactor’s face and scent. Many times, when I am 5 miles from home and outdoors, honeybees will come and alight on me then do their unique recognition dance. Do you know the taxonomy of the mostly black honeybee? Maybe it’s a hybrid.
I am sorry I missed this comment! I love it! Love this story of feeding our honey bees! Oh I wish I could see this feeder system. Oh, I think if we met we would be the best of friends! I will try to send you a PM, or email. I have a hive at a friends house in Frisco. He is in his 80’s. Amazing man! I learn something from him everytime I see him! Yes, there is a honey bee that is mostly black. I don’t know much about it other than my friends call it feral or wild. Thank you for taking the time to comment. Hope to get to know you better. Blessings, Dash