Update

The YBeek was in charge last week while I was in St. Martin's, NB, and he did a great job feeding the bees. The morning before I left, just about to take the dogs to the boarding kennel, Salsa was skunked by a bees-enthusiast skunk; she was skunked a week before, too, pretty dramatically having chased the skunk under the deck in front of the back door. And, while I was away, the skunk, or another, dug around in front of one hive, and scrabbled in front of both--skunks like to place their front feet on the lip of the hive, and eat bees coming and going, and whatever they can reach inside the hive. We have two brood supers, and on cold nights the bees cluster up in the hive because it's warmer, so we may have avoided much damage. Anyway, upon my return, bought two Have-A-Heart traps, although I don't, when it comes to skunks, and placed these in front of the hives, and one was tripped night before last, and none last night; the skunk seems to have been suitably discouraged, and the bees can fly through the traps' wires. The bees have been consuming sugar syrup (made as strong as seems possible) at an astonishing speed, which is very good because evaporation must be more challenging when the entrance is reduced. I bought an additional 4kg of granulated sugar for them this morning and will make it up tonight. Next weekend, we remove the varroa strips, and drip-treat; and set their supers up for winter, reduce the entrances, etc. The black outer coverings will wait for another month or so; when it gets really cold.