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Author Topic: Free Hive in January  (Read 5304 times)

Offline T Beek

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Re: Free Hive in January
« Reply #20 on: January 10, 2011, 06:53:17 am »
Didn't notice whether anyone asked:  Where were the bees before you got them?  Outside?  Then I'd leave them there.  Put hive on a pallet out of the prevailing winds.  Put some 2 inch rigid insulation on top.

Did they have enough stores?  If yes to both Q and they were already close to your location, I'd still leave em outside.  The cold won't hurt as bad as to fast of a warm up in your garage, eating all their stores and then deciding you have to feed because their world is frozen.  We've been having near 20 below, last two nights, normal temps for this time of year, cluster just gets tighter the colder it gets and they feed LESS.

please let us all know how it turns out.'

thomas
"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

Offline bullship

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Re: Free Hive in January
« Reply #21 on: January 10, 2011, 05:37:17 pm »
Leechman;
I live at Motley and keep my bees inside during WINTER. Bees inside must be kept TOTALLYDARK!! As close to 42 degrees as possible. If you have not moved them in yet DON"T it is too cold to disturb them. Don't want to break the cluster even if you are going inside.First warm day check food (honey) supply and wrap hive with tarpaper , leave bottom entrance open and if hive has a top hole leave it open.
Bullship:
Bullship

Offline leechmann

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Re: Free Hive in January
« Reply #22 on: January 10, 2011, 06:49:50 pm »
Bullship, I have then inside for about 5 or 6 days now. I put them in an area 4 ft by 4 ft., that I partitioned with 2x2 framing and then some window screen. Ever since I covered the windows with tar paper, the bees have quit coming out of the hive. I have about 100 dead bees on the floor, but thats it. I have a reducer in the bottom opening. with the 1 inch opening. The hives were very heavy when I moved them, so I suspect that there is alot of honey stores.

Some questions for you Bullship. How many hives do you have indoors? How long have you done tis? Do you feed them, if so, how often and what? Do we need to worry about disintary, if we feed and they aren't flying?

Thanks for your help. Nice to hear from someone so close.

Offline VolunteerK9

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Re: Free Hive in January
« Reply #23 on: January 10, 2011, 10:29:17 pm »
Can you give the exact URL for the "ventrillo amd" you mentioned? Would like to take a look.

Go to www.instantventrilo.com. Download the software and install. Then come back to Beemaster, click on the home. All the info that you need to plug in to ventrilo is all the way at the bottom on the left

Offline bullship

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Re: Free Hive in January
« Reply #24 on: January 11, 2011, 12:32:50 am »
I only have 5 hives but a friend has 900 all inside. Keep them at 42 and dark then they will only eat 30 or 40 lb.all winter . Leave them alone unless you think they are running out of feed then use the Mountain Camp method clumped dry sugar. No syrup unless you want nosema problems. May have nosema anyway use fumigillin in the spring as soon as you go out unless you don't use chemicals then just watch and hope.
Neihbor just down the road has had bees for at least 50 years, been there done it all at least once but real nice guy and very helpful.
Bullship