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Author Topic: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (Read 29634 times)

Offline backyard warrior

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Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« on: January 17, 2011, 09:21:25 pm »
I checked my hives today out of three i lost one and another doesnt look good. The bees ate all their stores and i had two deeps and two mediums on them.  They had plenty of stores but couldnt break cluster to get to it from all this cold weather im guessing there is going to be lots of loses this year due to this cold snap that wont quit.  I opened my hives and moved frames of honey around the clusters. Im glad i ordered packages this year i think im going to requeen with northern queens this year see what happens heads up bjorn  :)

Offline AllenF

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2011, 09:25:48 pm »
How big were the frozen/ starved cluster left in the hives?  Low numbers could not heat the box.  Why did you leave the meds on?  Bad cold still coming.   Winter ain't over.

Offline backyard warrior

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2011, 09:27:38 pm »
Lots of bees laying on the bottom boards. lots of bees with heads in cells and no honey around the clusters

Offline slacker361

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2011, 09:29:30 pm »
did you have any bee cozy's on them or any kind of insulation at all?

Offline backyard warrior

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2011, 09:32:07 pm »
no i didnt wrap the hives with anything.

Offline backyard warrior

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2011, 09:53:54 pm »
I have mixed emotions on wrapping hives. I can understand that they conserve honey by being warmer but also i have read that they have moisture problems with wrapped hives. Id like to hear some feedback from the northern beeks that winter hives successfully what do they do ??

Offline AllenF

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2011, 09:59:28 pm »
Leaving the 2 honey supers on top may have been to much space for the bees to warm themselves.  Wrapping does save a lot of food stores.

Offline backyard warrior

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2011, 10:14:51 pm »
I understand what you are saying Allen. My question is when you get lots of hives up here in the north i dont think it would be economical for a beek with lots of hives to wrap them all im leaning toward bees that can live threw winter under conditions as in the wild.  I really dont want to tie up lots of money in hive wraps.  There is lots to learn  as i can see there is lots of scenerios between the mites and cold weather and all the other problems that can unfold through out the winter.

Offline Yuleluder

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2011, 10:30:40 pm »
I don't wrap any of my colonies and from what I understand the bees only heat the cluster and not the entire cavity.  That being said a small cluster will not be able generate enough heat to survive some of these cold nights. 

Last weekend I went through 80% of my yards and found all of them doing pretty well.  One yard I did lose 4 out of 12 but 3 of those were late season combines, the other was caught in a bad spot and couldn't break cluster and starved with honey in the box above them.  All other yards had either 1 loss or no losses and these are yards of at least 20 colonies.  Most colonies have SBB's.  I will run one final check the first weekend of Feb, before my stimulative feeding regime starts in March.

Offline slacker361

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2011, 10:44:15 pm »
you just got be scared now, just got done making a candy board, the bees will be dining in class tomorrow

Offline backyard warrior

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #10 on: January 17, 2011, 10:48:45 pm »
Sounds good Lucas thats what i was thinking that they heat the cluster only but i suppose less boxes would keep some heat in the hives. The hives really dont have any r value so you would think if heat was a big issue we would be using insulated hives ??? My hives starved not being able to break cluster i think that was my biggest problem. Its been really cold and its been staying cold these bees were packages from down south so maybe thats the reason  although they didnt have any brood to keep warm ???

Offline Yuleluder

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #11 on: January 17, 2011, 11:00:36 pm »
backyard warrior,

Did you get that last email from me?  The one about possibly having a bee yard for you up near beltsville lake?

Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #12 on: January 17, 2011, 11:12:58 pm »
  All other yards had either 1 loss or no losses and these are yards of at least 20 colonies.  Most colonies have SBB's. 
Are you saying your SBBs are open?  Do you leave them open all winter?
"You never can tell with bees."  --  Winnie-the-Pooh

Offline Yuleluder

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #13 on: January 17, 2011, 11:20:57 pm »
Are you saying your SBBs are open?  Do you leave them open all winter?

Yes the SBB's are all open.  I even have some single deeps with open SBB's.  The only colonies without open SBB's are my 2 and 3 five frame deep high nucs.  The rest I run SBB's on.

Offline jhs494

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #14 on: January 17, 2011, 11:48:36 pm »
We wrap all our hives, close off the sceened bottom board, and install entrance reducers. We use the 15# builders felt with two straps around them to hold it in place.

Of the eleven that are wrapped three only have two mediums high on them.
These we checked with the stethoscope to locate how high up the cluster was.
We used the mountain camp method of emergency feeding on all three hives.
Hive one and two still had the clusters down in the lower brood box.
We still added the newspaper and put dry sugar over the clusters.

Hive three the cluster was already at the hand hold in the inner cover.

We placed the paper over the cluster, gently trying to get them below the tops of the frames.
We added a gallon of dry white sugar to each hive over the paper, added another medium above and closed them up.

 
« Last Edit: January 18, 2011, 07:29:25 am by jhs494 »
Joe S.

Offline backyard warrior

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #15 on: January 18, 2011, 12:12:10 am »
Sorry i havent gotten back to you i was in the middle of changing jobs and all.  I am def interested in that bee yard let me know the info.  MY # is 570 527 0863

Offline backyard warrior

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #16 on: January 18, 2011, 12:28:15 am »
Yuleluder id like to buy a few queens from u this summer !!!!!!!!!

Offline Be a Bee

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #17 on: January 18, 2011, 12:36:33 am »
I have mixed emotions on wrapping hives.

2000 feet up in the Shuswap, BC, I insulate with 2.25" insualtion around the two supers. Also above the inner lid sits an empty super with insulation in it, but not air tight and the lid on an agle to allow moisture to escape. I also have a top entrance about 1/2 inch wide only, for cleansing flights. I do this for 30 years and in our region have no moisture problems but save a lot of feed. We get -30 degree C a couple of times during winter, duration about 4 to 7 days. This winter was milder, -20 only. You find more about me on the net.
Werner Gysi
Be the bees with me as long as I can see

Offline T Beek

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #18 on: January 18, 2011, 07:44:29 am »
I don't wrap my hives any more.  Feel it caused to many moisture problems.  I use SBB and top entrances, only one Hive w/ SBB is now wide open.  I do place 2 inch rigid insulation on tops of all my hives.  I've lost two small colonies (caught swarms) so far this winter and take responsibility for failing to dump or combine them.  They were too weak, lesson learned.

I agree with Be a Bee, this hasn't been a very cold winter for us northern beeks "yet."  Our regional weather issues affecting bees began with a very warm November, causing bees to feed on stores they should be eating right now.  I did feed all of my hives dry sugar before closing them up.  Waiting now for a day above freezing to check and feed, it may be awhile I'm afraid.

thomas
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Offline HomeBru

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #19 on: January 18, 2011, 12:23:25 pm »
Just checked ours yesterday. No noise, lots of dead bees just inside the excluder so I took a peek. No signs of life. Started out strong going into the winter, the cluster was nearly busting at the seams with two full mediums of honey/stored sugar water on top (no late flow so fed heavy all fall). This is the end of our second year trying bees and we haven't made it through a winter yet. I'm not sure we'll go for a third year with nucs and packages up to and over $100 each! Our honey harvest has been about $250/quart so far...

Frustrating.

 

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