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Author Topic: Is anyone else having a VERY odd winter (more than just warm)  (Read 2064 times)

Offline Apis629

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Is anyone else having a VERY odd winter (more than just warm)
« on: January 26, 2007, 04:06:08 pm »
I opened one of my hives the other day and, what do you know, they had drawn out AND filled a super of honey!  I had left it on there undrawn and empty because I was worried about how much space they had and now, I have two supers full of capped honey on the hive.  I actually have to super them...in January.  I find this to be odd, even for Florida.  I am a bit concerned though, as, with a queen laying simmilarly to how she would be performing in a spring build-up, what are the chances of her exausting herself right before the main honeyflow of Citrus in a month or so?  She's already a year and a half old. 

So, has anyone else actually MADE honey over the course of the winter?

Offline Understudy

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Re: Is anyone else having a VERY odd winter (more than just warm)
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2007, 04:24:33 pm »
Yes, but I live in the same state you do.
I pulled 8 frames fully drawn 3 weeks ago.
Had a little over a gallon in it.
One of the smallest amounts I have pulled but not bad for only eight frames.

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Brendhan
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Offline Apis629

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Re: Is anyone else having a VERY odd winter (more than just warm)
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2007, 04:30:16 pm »
Are those 8 deeps or 8 mediums? I seem to recall you were using those plasticell deeps.  I just remember that I added my first super last year in mid March, January is WAY too early for these things.  I'm seeing the kind of trafic in the enterances that I had last summer!

Offline Understudy

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Re: Is anyone else having a VERY odd winter (more than just warm)
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2007, 04:35:30 pm »
Permacomb mediums. 10 frame. I left two behind. And refilled it after I extracted the honey.

I am having lots and lots of traffic. Pollen is blooming all over the place.

Sincerely,
Brendhan
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Offline Apis629

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Re: Is anyone else having a VERY odd winter (more than just warm)
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2007, 04:36:42 pm »
Yes, I've had a great deal of pollen here aswell.  Mostly Spanish needle but, some of the neighborhood citrus trees are blooming already.

Offline pdmattox

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Re: Is anyone else having a VERY odd winter (more than just warm)
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2007, 08:08:48 pm »
I have had pollen for about a month or so and added a deep box on the hives last week. They seem to be building up great and going through about a half  gallon of sryup a day. :-D

Everything is starting to bloom and boom here very early.


P.S. send some of that warm weather back to the northern part of the state please. :evil:

Online Michael Bush

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Re: Is anyone else having a VERY odd winter (more than just warm)
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2007, 08:22:06 pm »
We went from temps in the 50's to 12 below for a while.  Now it's just normal January weather, like between 0 and 20 F at night and between 10 and 40 F in the days.   The sudden drop seems to have caught a couple of hives off guard, but most are still doing fine, despite some of the bees on the outskirts of the cluster getting stuck and freezing.

No pollen.  No nectar.  But it's January.
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Is anyone else having a VERY odd winter (more than just warm)
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2007, 08:23:21 pm »
i am freezing my back side off, but at least it has been dry.  pretty normal, or maybe a little colder, this year.
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