Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: hollybees on January 24, 2009, 12:31:29 pm

Title: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
Post by: hollybees on January 24, 2009, 12:31:29 pm: I just went to the hives opened the entrance and pulled the dead out (I have SBB's)
I do this occasionally to check the death rate, especially after a cold snap.
The "slide-out board" (i don't know what to call it) looked normal w/low mite count.
I peeked under the outer cover hive#1 there were some in the inner cover center hole.

But hive #2 it was full of bees spread out filling the entire space between the outer an inner cover.

Sounds like there are still a ton of bees in there, I left them about 80-90 lbs honey.
It's very sunny out but in the 20's should I be concerned?
What signs do you watch for to know if their stores are low, are there any "hunger test" methods??

Thanks
Paul
Title: Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
Post by: buzzbee on January 24, 2009, 12:55:42 pm: I'm sure the sun shining heated the air under the outer cover. i wouldn't be too concerned.Bees will fly if it's sunny,calm and in the thirties!!
Title: Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
Post by: DaveKow on January 24, 2009, 01:51:16 pm: I too found one of my hives was to the inner cover during similar temps. I checked the other hive that has an extra super and saw nobody. I thought that they might have died. After a few moments, a couple bees came to see why the roof was off.

I ended up doing a poor rendition of the "mountain camp method" on the hive that was at the inner cover. Better safe than sorry. Though I could have been safer than I was. A lot of bees that came after me didn't make it back. I under estimated how well they could come at you when it is only 43 degrees.
Title: Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
Post by: hollybees on January 25, 2009, 09:20:11 pm: Quote from: DaveKow on January 24, 2009, 01:51:16 pm
I ended up doing a poor rendition of the "mountain camp method" on the hive that was at the inner cover. Better safe than sorry.

DaveKow....what is the mountain camp method???

Paul
Title: Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
Post by: mherndon on January 25, 2009, 10:38:30 pm: I also checked on my girls this weekend. They were up to the inner cover and I also was worried. I had a pollen patty ready and slipped it in. I only had the cover up for maybe 15 seconds. Several came out the entrance and it was 38 degrees. I hope I didn't mess them up. They had a medium and a shallow supper of stores going into Winter.

Mark
Title: Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
Post by: DaveKow on January 26, 2009, 04:26:00 pm: Quote
DaveKow....what is the mountain camp method???
Quote

Basically, it is dry sugar on top of newspaper, on top of the frames. http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=19148.0

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,17003.msg124615.html#msg124615
Title: Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
Post by: Brian D. Bray on January 26, 2009, 07:02:05 pm: Quote from: DaveKow on January 26, 2009, 04:26:00 pm
Quote
DaveKow....what is the mountain camp method???

Basically, it is dry sugar on top of newspaper, on top of the frames. http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=19148.0

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,17003.msg124615.html#msg124615

They call it the mountain top method because the sugar is poured onto the paper and it resembles a snow covered mountain top.
Title: Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
Post by: Michael Bush on January 26, 2009, 09:46:27 pm: >They call it the mountain top method because the sugar is poured onto the paper and it resembles a snow covered mountain top.

Well actually a member of another forum uses this as their username (Mountain Camp) and he was a proponent of the method and so the name was a reference to him.
Title: Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
Post by: BEES4U on January 27, 2009, 11:52:03 am: You might consider the application of a pollen patty under the dry granulated sugar used in the mountain camp method.
good Luck,
Ernie