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Author Topic: closing up the hive  (Read 3973 times)

Offline zzzzzzzzpr

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closing up the hive
« on: August 01, 2013, 08:30:22 pm »
I went to take a bee class and the guy who put it on said that around aug. 15 hes done with his hive for the season.
I live in a hot region with fall blooms, don't know what they could be around where I live.
when should I start feeding them sugar water again?

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: closing up the hive
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2013, 12:40:30 am »
Last year, I didn't feed them sugar. I went through my hives in October and made sure they all had at least 5 medium frames of honey and the other 5 were new foundation. A few had a couple extra. It worked real well. I didn't loose any hives and made splits in February.
Our climates are very different but I think our bees would be a whole lot better off if we left enough natural honey in the hive for them to survive than feeding them pure sugar. Recent studies have proven that there is a big difference.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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Offline millipede

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Re: closing up the hive
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2013, 01:03:29 am »
I agree. I feed honey anytime I can rather than feeding sugar. So if they can gather on the fall, let them keep it and you will likely be rewarded in spring.

Offline BlueBee

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Re: closing up the hive
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2013, 05:22:29 am »
The best way to tell if they are low of stores is to take a peak at the frames or lift the boxes.  If they are light and you have a lot of bees, you are living on the edge.  If they are really light, you better do something.

In Michigan there is always something for the bees so we really never have to feed unless/until we steal their honey in the fall.  We don’t normally dry up in the summer like some of the southern and western climates.  But we pay for our pleasant summer weather when winter rolls back around  :evil:

Offline L Daxon

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Re: closing up the hive
« Reply #4 on: August 03, 2013, 11:36:38 am »
Here in central Oklahoma we don't get much of a fall flow/crop. This year could be a little different since we have had so much rain the flowers may be in bloom/have more blooms than normal.  But there is not a lot to do with the hives in the fall, other than monitoring their honey/pollen reserves to make sure they have what they need for winter.

I totally agree that it is much better for the bees nutritionally to leave as much honey on the hive as you think they will need to get through the winter, rather than rob them down and then try to build stores back up with sugar water.  There is just no comparison nutritionally between the honey the girls have stored from nectar and what is made from sugar water.  Of course, if it looks like you don't have enough stores for them to make it to spring, then you probably should feed.  No need to let them starve, unless you are of the school that if they didn't make enough to get themselves through the winter, they are probably genetically inferior and better to let them die.

I didn't feed any of my hives last fall. Left them each an 8 frame medium of honey and they did fine.   I did feed a new split and a new nuc a bit this spring to build them up initially but didn't feed my big hives. Don't plan on feeding any this fall.  Not having to feed sure saves a lot of time.

Linda Daxon

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Offline mikecva

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Re: closing up the hive
« Reply #5 on: August 03, 2013, 12:50:02 pm »
Hi there.

Here in Virginia we have not had a good year for honey because of the temps and rain. I send my bees into winter in three medium boxes per hive. I will need to inspect all of the hives and maybe do some shifting of frames to get a full brood house for winter (if any honey is left over It is mine, but always bees needs first.) So I end up with usually 10 frames of honey, 2-6 frames of a pollen/honey combination and then the brood area.   If I do feed it will be in the late fall (temps ~ 45 - 50) just as a last ditch effort to fatten up the bees so they can save their honey for the winter. Through the years I have good results with this system except last year when I lost about 8% of my hives due to the craze up and down temps and high winds. Just my two cents. Good luck.   -Mike
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Offline forrestcav

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Re: closing up the hive
« Reply #6 on: August 04, 2013, 01:17:30 am »
Fall blooms could be dry blooms. I would inspect and feed as needed. They usually won't take what they don't need.
Just a beek trying to get ready for winter.

Offline zzzzzzzzpr

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Re: closing up the hive
« Reply #7 on: August 04, 2013, 03:01:30 pm »
I have a tbh. I have honey in the middle of my brood. should rearrange my hive?
brood with brood and honey with honey?

Offline millipede

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Re: closing up the hive
« Reply #8 on: August 04, 2013, 04:14:56 pm »
From what I have seen with TBHs is the bees tend to move in one direction. So if the start in the middle and move back, anything forward will be ignored. I try to set up the brood close to the entrance and the honey further back to try to prep them to move into the honey as the winter goes on.

Offline Carol

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Re: closing up the hive
« Reply #9 on: August 06, 2013, 05:18:03 pm »
Sawdstmakr.....you leave a super on the hive all winter? 5 frames of honey.  I'm in central Fl and wondered how much I should leave them. I pulled some after the 2 swarms...but left them 2 frames. The cabbage palms are still blooming and the pepperbush should start in the fall. 

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: closing up the hive
« Reply #10 on: August 06, 2013, 10:48:23 pm »
Sawdstmakr.....you leave a super on the hive all winter? 5 frames of honey.  I'm in central Fl and wondered how much I should leave them. I pulled some after the 2 swarms...but left them 2 frames. The cabbage palms are still blooming and the pepperbush should start in the fall.  
Hello Carol,
Last year was so warm until mid February that the bees were bringing in nectar and pollen on and off. Part of my concern was that they were going to swarm hence the 5 foundation frames. In the spring they ended up using most of it. I only ended up with 2 supers of dark (winter) honey. I did get 2 swarms in January, from someone else's hives. I just added 5 supers to my hives tonight and need to get another one on a hive in my out apiary. I would have put them on sooner but we ran out of frames and they just came in yesterday. We caught a swarm yesterday in palm tree 10 feet from my hives. I checked the tops (STB) of all 16 of the hives here and none of them look like they could have swarmed. The flow is still on strong here. It may have come from the hive in the out apiary or one of 2 other local apiaries. I will bee pulling honey in another week or so. All of the hives are very heavy and still bringing in honey.   In October again, I plan on setting up all of the hives with 5 frames of honey and 5 frames of foundation. It probably would not work up north but it did work here.
I do need to mention that I keep a hive at my farm, 60 miles to the west and they have been loosing weight for a couple of months now. They had a full medium super and it is getting pretty light. They are there for my wife's garden.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

 

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