We had our first snow of the season this morning, so it’s a good thing that the farm is just about ready for winter!

Our most delicate animals are the honeybees, who don’t have wooly coats or downy feathers to keep them warm in cold weather. So we’ve been giving them some extra care recently to help them through the winter…

The observation hive recently got a space heater and a thermometer, so we can easily see whether the weather is up to scratch (as it is here — a toasty nearly-80 degrees as compared to the outdoor 40!).

And the Langstroth (box) hive got special sugar bricks to snack on, made with apple cider vinegar and essential oils to help boost the hive’s health while they can’t collect their own protein-rich pollen.

Here’s hoping for a milder winter than last year’s, and healthy honeybee hives ready to forage when the first spring blooms emerge!