winterising in snow areas

[Dacypher]

Hello.  Can anyone help me to find a viable way to winterise in an area that gets about fout feet of snow?  I am in northern California and also in bear counrty.
thank you for your attention

[KONASDAD]

Mail them to Understudy for winter! Seriously, ther are lots of ideas. bears shouldn't be a winter prob, so if you havent had any, keep your fingers crossed. Some members have lots of bear issues and will fill you in. Search bear on search engine.The best advice I can give you is make sure they are healthy and well fed going into winter. They should weigh at least 80lbs or more to get through winter. Reduce entrance a little, mouse guards and thats all thats needed. Some people wrap hives, but I dont. Some put roofs on to keep out rain, I dont. Block the wind, get'em fattend up and they should do fine. They handle cold well. Oh yeah, make sure hive is slightly tipped forward and telescoping cover is propped w/ a small stick to prevent condensation from dripping on them. Healthy and well fed is the most important. They handle situations well when they have the resources.

[Old Timer]

i believe if i had four foot of snow around my hive in the winter i would try to go with a top entrance. wrap them tight and make sure they don't get covered up by snow cause this could suffocate them like a skier trapped under an avalanche.

[Kathyp]

also, make sure you can keep your entrance clear of snow.  i found that plywood at an angle against the hive does the trick.  i had problems with water getting into the top of the hive last year.  tilting the hive helps any that gets in, drain out.  i do not want an upper entrance, but i think i will try drilling a couple of small holes at the front of my inner covers.  i hope that any water that collects on the inner cover will drain out these small holes if the hive is tilted.

[bassman1977]

Just keep the entrance clear as mentioned and make sure you do something to prevent condensation inside the hive.  I've wrapped and not wrapped and had success with both methods, so whatever floats your boat.   Personally I don't think I will ever wrap again.  The bees will take care of the heating themselves.   ;)

i do not want an upper entrance, but i think i will try drilling a couple of small holes at the front of my inner covers.  i hope that any water that collects on the inner cover will drain out these small holes if the hive is tilted.

You can use hay or straw also.  Adds insulation and will trap and spread out any moisture.  I put it between the inner & outer covers.

[Cindi]

I really don't think snow piled up on a hive would suffocate them.  Snow is very porous and lots of air gets in through the snow.  Have a wonderful day, greatest of life.  Cindi

[Old Timer]

any easy way to find out would be to shovel a bunch of snow around your hive this winter. or to get in a box and let someone bury it with snow. the bees will not be able to ventilate the moisture out of their hive which is a must in cold weather. if the can't ventilate, the moisture will gather on the inner lid, cool and fall on the bees. you don't want your bees to get wet when they are all huddled together trying to stay warm. but after you try it, let me know what happens :)

[Michael Bush]

Make sure they have a top entrance so on a sunny day they can fly.  Make sure you have mouseguards on the bottom entrance or close it.  make sure they have enough stores.

[Understudy]

Winter? I don't have a day below 87F/31C for the next week. Bees flying all over the place. I have nuc exploding that need to move to a full box.

I will love to winter your bees. The deal is simple they make honey for me I give them a  good home. All bees will be returned in April or May minus any queens that appear to have adapted to the southern climate. If you can't get them to me sean in Jamacia would love to also. We will sit out on the yard drinking frozen margaritas watching the bees go back and forth.
 :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Brian D. Bray]

I areas of deep snow I would do what I saw the beekeepers on Hokkaido in norther Japan when I was there curtousy of Uncle Sam--winter them side by side where they can help keep each other warm.  Put your weaker hives on the outside as those are the most like the ones to be lost.

[Cindi]

Brendhan, are you trying to make us sick?  Summertime, all year round, what a life...but...I think that I would get kind of tired of trying to tone up and lose weight to look good  :evil: :) ;) :(  Not.

I love our wintertime, the time for inside activities.  When the beautiful days of spring begin, the leap for joy of the dark days of winter that I know will be gone for a long time, makes me a happy woman.  The dark, dull, brown, leafless limbs of the deciduous trees that  in the spring, begin to burst with the onset of the buds, oh dear, such a beautiful scene.  YOu sip your Margaritas,  that cool you down, we sip our drinks that warm us from the inside out, hot Rum toddies, right, I remember now why I do like those dark winter nights.  Our time for shutdown, to rejunvenite our bodies and souls for the coming season -- the season for work (play to me), bringing the brown world into a world of beautiful colours, and green, the most beautiful of all the colours, probably 2,000 shades of green.  Cindi

[Michael Bush]

>winter them side by side

Like this?
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/Stand1.jpg

[Cindi]

Michael, that is a cool set up.  I love to see pictures of peoples' beeyards, I wish more people would post pictures so we can go for a trip to their part of the world.  I like how you have the hives set, that probably really helps to keep them warm, with the wind chill not slipping around each one.  Have a wonderful day, best of this great life.  Cindi

[sean]

Winter? I don't have a day below 87F/31C for the next week. Bees flying all over the place. I have nuc exploding that need to move to a full box.

I will love to winter your bees. The deal is simple they make honey for me I give them a  good home. All bees will be returned in April or May minus any queens that appear to have adapted to the southern climate. If you can't get them to me sean in Jamacia would love to also. We will sit out on the yard drinking frozen margaritas watching the bees go back and forth.
 :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Sincerely,
Brendhan

They wouldnt want to go back. Sun all year round, tropical cuisine, white sandy beaches, no bears, no skunks, what more could a bee want

[Old Timer]

Winter? I don't have a day below 87F/31C for the next week. Bees flying all over the place. I have nuc exploding that need to move to a full box.

I will love to winter your bees. The deal is simple they make honey for me I give them a  good home. All bees will be returned in April or May minus any queens that appear to have adapted to the southern climate. If you can't get them to me sean in Jamacia would love to also. We will sit out on the yard drinking frozen margaritas watching the bees go back and forth.
 :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Sincerely,
Brendhan

no thanks, would not want to risk importing ahb, small hive beetles, or fire ants back to my apiary.

[pdmattox]

no thanks, would not want to risk importing ahb, small hive beetles, or fire ants back to my apiary.

what? yall don't have fire ants and shb's up there yet? I thought just about everyone has them in there states. As far ahb's go, you can always requeen the hives. The hybird Ahb's aren't all that bad in the first couple of generations anyway.  I can work all mine with a little smoke and wearing shorts and a tshirt.

[Old Timer]

i don't have it here, but some people have received shb in packages ordered from the south. as far as ahb goes, i've never been around them and can't comment on anything other than what i've read. i feel sorry for anyone having to battle shb, fire ants, and ahb regardless of what state they are in.

[Brian D. Bray]

I have never heard of eith SHB or fire Ants in my area.  Don't have any poisonous snakes either.  Too damp and cool most of the year for those critters to get much of a toehold.  With having to start over with new bees this year and being careful from where I obtained my stock I don't have Varroa as yet either.  The last I would expect to change--probably as early as the next feral swarm that comes through.  But I have been careful with obtaining stock that should produce a hybrid vitality as well as enhanced hygenic and survivor resistance.