I noticed some honey or sugar syrup on the bottom board of one of my hives this morning.
Watered down honey or syrup on bottom board. (Feb. 02, 2016.)
I’ve seen this before. It usually happens in the winter when open honey comb contracts in the cold and then expands in the sudden heat of a warm spell and drips out of the cells. That’s all that’s happening. The first time I saw this, I thought a mouse got in the hive and chewed open some honey comb, which is not unheard of. But there’s no way a mouse could get through my quarter-inch mesh.
Wow — Now there’s something you don’t see every day. I hope that the honey/syrup doesn’t drip/freeze on your bees — or that it stays long enough for the girls to clean themselves off. So weird. Glad you shared that because that’s definitely something the bee books don’t tell you.
Thank you! I am a new beekeeper and this happened to me today–I am relieved to learn this is due to the extreme temperature fluctuations we have been experiencing here in Bristol, Vermont!