Hives lost around 22 lbs so far this winter

[Finski]

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Our researcher Seppo Korpela got 10 Macedonica queens. Their hives all died first 5 and then 5. All starved in winter during 2 years. When I calculated the amount what the hive could spend during winter months, it was 80 kg.  There is no reason to keep such bee strains.

The first rule in our climate is that the colony starts to winter in right time. It cannot follow weather temperature because we may have good weather and then it changes permanenty so bad that bees cannot come out. Our bees do not make cleansing flights during winter and they are not feeded every month.

I have had colonies which are not sensitive to local weather and they were often near to die. And many have died for brooding.

A Langstroth box may contain a certain amount of food and that will enought to next May when willow starts blooming. Like our professionals say, that they do not go into wood their hives from snow, because they have not time to look them. Forest roads are often full of snow in April, and they cannot drive with cars there. 

Hive must have allways 5 kg store that beekeepers has time to look after them. It is 2 weeks food in Spring.
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[rdy-b]

I had two double-deep hives going into winter here in Chicago-land. Both weighed about 140 on October 12th. Both are coming in right now at around 118 lbs give or take a pound.

So, my hives consumed around 22 lbs in 4 months, or about 5 1/2 lbs per month.  That number should skyrocket once brood rearing hits hard.

Not bad.  Both hives are well insulated with 2" foam.

I figure I have at least 40 lbs of stores in each hive, and 2 more months of Winter left.   Now if they can just manage to stay alive until mid April . . .

Hey Finski, how do those numbers compare with your climate?

Ken

in published figures for insulated hives in Norway, they consumed 8 to 11kg for the entire winter.  40 lbs of stores is basically alot of chemical  heat , that heat has to go somewhere... if not out the roof and sides, it has to go out the vent.... bees obey the laws of thermodynamics... the same as steam engines  spaceship, ants, the sun the stars and the planet.  You are running at over twice the heat loss you could do.

 This is a very interesting perspective -thank you derekm--

[c10250]

So what are you guys implying?  No vent would be better?

[rdy-b]

  from what they are saying --it would be the way to go for a poly hive
 i would run the doubles  (wood hive) just the way you have been for the rest of the season
 the diferance in consumption must be diferance between poly and wood hive--or am i missing
 something else--hard to read every word of these posts some times--RDY-B

[rdy-b]

 poly hive wont abosorb watter from condensation(moisture runs out the front)--wood will -2 inch foam on outside
 but hive still has the same caricteristics of wood hive on the inside-so it must be run like a wood hive (gota vent out the moisture that is absorbed in wood)
 that includes more stores for consumption -compared to the poly hives that we are comparing to--RDY-B