As a beekeeper, it is your duty to ensure your bees have a healthy hive. This involves providing them with enough food and resources so they can survive the winter months.
When it comes to bee food, you have several options. Some are safer and more environmentally friendly than others.
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Keeping Wasps & Insects Away
Avoiding wasps and other insects near your bee food cover can help reduce stinging incidents. Wasps will have difficulty locating it, while their vision is impaired for detecting what lies beneath the surface of the food cover.
Wasps can detect honeydew by scent, making them wary to approach the area. If they have a nest nearby, they’ll want to stay far away from it at all costs!
It can be challenging to keep wasps and other insects out of your yard or home, but there are some easy solutions. One such method involves using essential oils.
By adding clove oil, lemongrass and geranium essential oils to a backpack sprayer and spraying the exterior of your porch with it, you can help repel wasps and other pests. Additionally, sprinkle cinnamon sticks on areas prone to wasps’ activity.
Keeping Bees Away
When hosting a barbecue or other outdoor gathering, it’s essential to keep bees away from your food cover. Bees are especially attracted to sugary treats, soda cans, and food trash, so ensure that none of your food items are left out or served in containers without lids.
Instead, place the food table far away from your picnic area so bees can’t access it. This will reduce their attraction to sweet scents as well as reduce spills and crumbs.
Other methods to deter bees include using scented candles and sprays, keeping your property free from ground nests, and removing hives that you find on your premises. If the problem is more widespread than just a few bees, then it may be time to contact an experienced pest professional or local beekeeper for assistance. They can help eliminate your bee infestation while protecting the environment by working to relocate a hive without destroying it – something you may not have the capacity to do on your own.
Keeping Pests Away
Bee food covers are an eco-friendly alternative to plastic wrap. They can be used on a variety of foods from fruit to cheese and help reduce plastic waste in the process.
Bee food covers not only offer many advantages to bees, but they can also keep out pests like flies and other insects. Many of these covers feature a screen in the lid to prevent bugs from getting inside.
Bees can be effectively discouraged using bitter almond oil (benzaldehyde) or tea tree oil on a rag. This method works best in outdoor areas where spraying commercial repellents may not be feasible, such as patios, decks and yard furniture.
Other deterrents for bees include placing a dish of sugar water or strips of banana peel near where they feed, but keep these lures a long distance away. It’s also wise to avoid placing any scented food items or products near areas where bears or other scavenging animals might be present.
Keeping Insects Away
If you’re hosting a picnic or BBQ, bee food covers can help keep insects away from your food. These covers are versatile and can be used indoors as well as outdoors for meals.
Covering food helps reduce landfill plastic waste, making them an eco-friendly way to go green! These reusable food covers are made from recycled cotton and elasticated fabric and screen printed with bee designs for a charming touch.
Bees are attracted to flowers and floral prints, so it’s best to avoid using these colors on plates, napkins or table covers. Instead, opt for white or pale colored materials as these won’t elicit that wafting scent which might attract bees and other pests.
Another effective natural repellent is cinnamon’s aroma. Place cinnamon sticks near the hive and they will serve as a deterrent for bees.
