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Author Topic: Wintering hives  (Read 13089 times)

Offline BEE C

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Wintering hives
« on: August 08, 2006, 05:57:47 pm »
Hey everyone,
I had a rookie question about wintering.  I have some nice extracted frames that I would like to add back to my hive today.  I have four and three boxes on each hive.  I know in a couple of weeks I will have to reduce the size of the hive down to two boxes, so my question is how should I arrange this?  I have frames with mostly pollen, honey capped with pollen and brood frames.  Can I leave the extracted frames for brood frames? I assume if I put them into the hives like that they will clean them out and rebuild them for brood frames?  I Fed one half covered with comb and pollen back to them already as I had taken out frames for extraction and had an extra.  Is there some sort of order to wintering frames.  I just assume its like in the spring?

Offline Brian D. Bray

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« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2006, 11:23:09 pm »
Putting the supers back on the hive and letting the bees clean out the residue is one way of doing it.  Placing the lot out in the open will usually start a robbing frenzy.  If they dress the comb in the process so much the better for next year.  Put them on the hives for a few days and then remove them.  It is better to have excess stores than not enough.
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Offline BEE C

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« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2006, 11:38:01 pm »
Thanks brian, I put the extracted super on top of the one hive with three brood boxes (smaller one) and put the remaining few frames onto the larger hive.  It started to rain here this afternoon, so this should give them something to do...

Offline Finsky

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Re: Wintering hives
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2006, 02:30:31 am »
Quote from: BEE C
 I know in a couple of weeks I will have to reduce the size of the hive down to two boxes, so my question is how should I arrange this?


You live on other side of globe but I suppose that wintering is near like in Finland.

First, insulated boxes woud be good in your area. It protects colony in winter and accelerates much spring build up.

Second : not too much sace for winter. Moisture condensates easily in empry places and they get mold.

third: ventilation in winter


It is not sure yet does hive need for winter 2 or 1 box.  The winter ball will be as big as brood area in late summer. If you have  12-14 frames brood, hive needs 2 boxes. If brood frames are 8 , one box will be enough.

My hives are still full of brood and queen continues laying. Just now I keep pollen frames in lower box and I know that before autumn bees consume most of store.

I put in the first week of September hives in feeding condition and take the rest honey away.

Rest of brood frames I put in lower box. Winter ball starts there where is last brood. Feeding start a bit brood raising.

On the side of brood in lower box I give white frames. Old frames get mold easily in winter.  

On the side of wall it is usefull put a foundation. It helps hive's ventilation.

In upper box from wall I put  foundation, empty frame, pollen frames and in the middle  4 empty frames which will be full of food. Against wall pollen will get mold. If pollen is in lower box, bees do not get it in spring from cold box.

So I feed to 2 box  20 kg sugar as syrup. To one box hive I feed as much as it takes during week.

If you feed too early, hive has too much brood and they cannot fill the center of hie.

Quote
Is there some sort of order to wintering frames.  I just assume its like in the spring?

Offline BEE C

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« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2006, 04:36:43 pm »
Thanks Finsky,
Even though your on the other side of the globe, Its helpful to know what arrangement you use for your frames going into winter.  i.e. pollen upstairs, etc.  Those are the kinds of tricks of the trade that help a newbie.  It gets about 15 below zero here during winter only for a few weeks.  Moisture is going to be the challenge for me during winter.  I have an idea of what kind of winter wrap I need to make, but the upper entrance I have is cut out of the inner cover lip.  I don't know if thats enough.  The hives will also be in my hive hut, so I'm not sure what effect that will have on the hives, colder because of no sun exposure, or warmer from a wind break effect.  Thanks for the info.

Offline Finsky

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« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2006, 04:49:55 pm »
Quote from: BEE C
The hives will also be in my hive hut, so I'm not sure what effect that will have on the hives, colder because of no sun exposure, or warmer from a wind break effect.  Thanks for the info.


You do not need hive wraps because hives are inside the hut.  Sun does not help during coldest winter. Wind shelter is very good. Upper entrance is essential that moisture flows from hive.

Mouse is bad and you must protect against them.

Offline Brian D. Bray

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« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2006, 11:28:32 pm »
Bee C.
I believe you are still south of London's longitude, I know I'm only about 50 miles south of you and I am.  I have never had to "winterize" a hive by wrapping with tar paper or other insulation.  Just button down the hive by reducing the entrance size as the weather turns bad.
When I was a Kid back in the 60's I had a lot of contact with beekeepers from the lower mainland and all used the same methods we did here in NW Washington.  The climate etc., is pretty much the same with the major variant being a slight delay in bloom onset.
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Offline Finsky

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« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2006, 12:22:34 am »
Tar paper gives very few insulation. Canada have had a good research about wrapping materials.

Tar paper is against water.  We use here tar paper even if we have insulated hives bodies. It is old habit and makes often no sence.  It was used 50 years ago and it is used with stryrofoam hives.  I don't.

My friend has made  a shelter from stryrofoam board. He piles hives inside the big box. It has open bottom. Hives produce so much warm that some autumn hhe has difficuies to keep temperature under +5C.

Offline BEE C

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« Reply #8 on: August 13, 2006, 05:07:12 am »
Mr Bray and Finsky,
Thanks for more info.  I think I might try not wrapping the hives.  One less thing to do this fall, more time to work on getting the rest of the firewood in....Dr Bee my instructor uses a piece of hard foam insulation between the inner and outer cover.  I might try this as it makes sense to keep heat from escaping as much as possible upwards.  I have a lip cut out of my inner covers for an upper entrance.  Now the outer cover fits over the inner, so the outer cover has to be pushed far ahead to not block the upper entrance.  Is this enough of an upper entrance do you think?  I saw some ventilated hive designs on the web which use a short upper chamber with vent holes.  In winter apparently they are reduced anyways, but I was curious, how big of a hole is good for an upper entrance in winter? What do you two use for an upper entrance?  I assume my equipment is pretty standard?
                                                                 thanks. steve

Offline Brian D. Bray

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« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2006, 05:18:14 am »
Just remember that excess moisture can cause more winter loss than tempature will.  Ice in the hive can be deadly.  Some venting is necessary even if all you do is drill a small hole or two in the inner cover frame.
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Offline Matz

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« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2006, 05:29:04 am »
I use styrospan foam insulation built into all my covers. Centered hole cut out for top feeding (save the cut out wood and use for plug) and a dato groove (top entrance) on the front bottom of the cover 2"x3"x3/8"depth with a swivle piece of metal to close up in summer months. The styro insul is 1.5" thick and has an R7.5 value which sure helps for our long cold winters up here. Wrap the sides with R7.5 and throw a R28 pillow on top for winter. The styro covers are great for early spring feeding when the temps are still cool to unwrap, just take the pillows off and throw a feed container on.  

The side wraps/pillows are easily made.  Buy some UV resistant poly, some fiberglass insulation and have a iron on hand.  Cut insul to desired size (single or double deep), wrap in poly and iron on low with piece on tinfoil over bottom of iron to prevent melting.  I'm in Manitoba so its considerably colder here, what I use may be overkill for BC, but it gives you an idea.

Offline Finsky

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« Reply #11 on: August 16, 2006, 06:35:40 am »
In winter upper entrance let escape moist respiration air from hive. I have the size I may put my little finger in.  

Respiration air condensates on inner walls and in cold corners too and  bottom board may be slanting or mesh.

I have bottom board but it is important that in back corners there are 2 holes. In my hives thay are one inch wide.

I have plastic deeps but when you have wooden deeps, condensation water will go into wood and hive is really wet during winter.

It is important to understand that hive has 22 C temperature in the ball and bees respirate.  There is some point where  warm respiration air meets enough cold and moisture attach on surfaces.  When it -8C outside I may see ice inside the hive in top corners and they are insulated boxes.

Offline BEE C

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« Reply #12 on: August 30, 2006, 07:00:47 am »
Finsky/Matz,
Thanks again.  I have decided to build winter wraps after all.  I want to do an experiment.  I have built a wooden cover that fits over the hive.  Inside the cover is R-15 insulation squeezed in.  I will get some board type insulation foam for the inner cover too.  Mice are going to be a problem for me so I need to keep the lower entrance small.  I was thinking of just drilling a small hole or two through the two inch board at the bottom of the winter sheath.  The upper entrance I will just cut the sheath away from, and make a small landing board.  I'll post pics soon, but its not quite done.  Finsky, I was curious about the small holes in the corners?  You said an inch wide?  Thats too big to keep mice out?  I might just drill some 3/8 inch holes?  I was also curious about the mesh floor?  I thought it might be too cold?  I would like to make a screened bottom so I could slide out the floor and remove the dead bees every month or so.  Is a screened bottom board ok?  Thanks for the replies.  I may be going overboard, but I'm curious how this turns out for the bees?  The warmer and better air circulation the better, no?                                  steve

Offline Finsky

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« Reply #13 on: August 30, 2006, 09:41:18 am »
BEE

When you make a big closet on your hives from insulated board it will be very good. My frien keeps 15 hives so and he said that bees produce so much warm that somethimes place is too hot.

Bottom is open and space gets veltilation there. Mice will not be problem.

Offline kensfarm

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« Reply #14 on: August 30, 2006, 10:46:25 am »
Since we are talking about winterizing..  I have a few questions.  

Using SBB's..  do most beeks put the sticky board back into the hives to keep it from beeing so open..  & give some protection from the wind?  My hives are on stands about 18 inches off the ground.

Has anyone used the silver colored "bubble-type" insulation for hive covers?  

At what tempature range would be cold enough that the bees would stop feeding on sugar water provided?

What is the estimated/average sugar water intake for winter feeding?

Is the starting of winter feeding gauged by the date of the first frost in the area you live?  Basically do you start feeding #days/#weeks before the expected frost date?  

Thankyou!  Ken

Offline Mici

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« Reply #15 on: August 30, 2006, 11:02:33 am »
Quote from: kensfarm

At what tempature range would be cold enough that the bees would stop feeding on sugar water provided?

What is the estimated/average sugar water intake for winter feeding?

Is the starting of winter feeding gauged by the date of the first frost in the area you live?  Basically do you start feeding #days/#weeks before the expected frost date?  

Thankyou!  Ken


I've heard many ways and ammounts of feeding. one of my...well, he would be my #1 beekeeper said that at least 14kg per hive starting in mid august, 1.st september at last. if you mix 1:1, you get from 1 l and 1 kg exactly 1,5l of syrup. you do the rest of the math:
my menthor told me to start feeding (a little, just to keep "pedal to the metal") with 1. august and to feed aprox. 10kg per hive. he said he waited a couple of years for fall harvest but most of times got nothing but empty hives in spring. so he was feeding in september and later. he also added that some feed in december.
and i'm almost certain that frost date has nothing to do with feeding.

about when to feed, how much to feed you should really advise with the first GOOD beekeeper in the area. honey flows differ from valley to valley, so does climate, so you have to know the local conditions.

Offline Brian D. Bray

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« Reply #16 on: August 30, 2006, 06:55:51 pm »
To  answer a few of the numerous questions above:
1. Heat goes up, not down, so the screened bottom board has nil effect on the bees as the cluster is above the bottom board.  The screened bottom board also allows the condensed moisture to "rain" out of the hive reducing water and ice buildup inside the hive.  SBBs actually benefit the bees during winter.
2. Some type of vent at the top of the hive is necessary to vent moisture regarless of the temperature.  The moisture condenses into water and can freeze lowering the temp inside the hive and by proximity that of the cluster so bees begin to die, the more that die from cold temps (and ice inside the hive) the more will due to decreased size of the cluster and consumption of stores will increase due to the effort to produce more heat.   3/8 inch holes should work, 1 inch holes are lare enough to allow a mouse to enter.
3. Bees will begin to fly anytime the temperature excedes 50 degrees Farenhiet (approx 6 degrees Celecius) regardless the time of the year, yes even in the middle of winter.  the further above the minimum temp the more bees will become active.  I've noted bees to fly at temps as low as 45F. The hive will do some house cleaning jobs during those times.
4. The date of the first frost has little, if anything, to do with determining when bees begin to winter.  Winter mode takes place whenever the the mean temperature is near or below 50F for several consecutive days with the exception of #3.  The further the temperature drops below the 50F the less active the bees will be.  As they use up the honey under there feet they will move to an area of more stores during the warmer temps of winter.
5. Feeding can be done anytime the temperature is above 50F as the bees will be active enough within the hive to allow it.  It is best, however, to be fairly certain that there will be more than just one day of such temperatures so they can get all of the feed (I do 1 gallon at a time) so that the bees are not strung out between the main cluster and the feeder.

I hope this helps, if not i can address further concerns later.
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Offline Finsky

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« Reply #17 on: August 31, 2006, 09:26:51 am »
Quote from: Mici

my #1 beekeeper said that at least 14kg per hive starting in mid august, 1.st september at last.

if you mix 1:1, you get from 1 l and 1 kg exactly 1,5l of syrup. you do the rest of the math:
my menthor told me to start feeding (a little, just to keep "pedal to the metal") with 1. august and to feed aprox. 10kg per hive.


Mici, you live quite south from me. I suppose that your summers ends 1,5 months later than here. It depends are you on mountains.

Here those who use excluder and they pull all honey from hives at the beginning of August they feed at once hives because hive have no stores. They press hive to wintering position.   They too have hundreds of hives and they must begin early because it takes weeks to go through all hives.

When you have 10-20 hives, you may handle then during one week.  If you have less, it take one or two days to put in condition.   There is no use to play like professionals.

I have any hive here in wintering position and I have still supers on hives. It is raining and I wait that weather clears.

You have no hurry in USA or in Slovenia for winter.

When you feed winter sugar 60% is good.  50% is too wetty.  66% is too slow to handle for bees. They get thirsty. When you put container full of sugar and then you pour boiling water container full, you get proper winter solution.

It takes one week to hive fill combs. Then bees need 2 weeks to cap sugar.  This has nothing to do with first frost. First frost may come 1 month later but you don't know that when. Or it comes when you are feeding. Don't care.

Offline Mici

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« Reply #18 on: August 31, 2006, 09:51:12 am »
Quote from: Finsky


Mici, you live quite south from me. I suppose that your summers ends 1,5 months later than here. It depends are you on mountains.

Here those who use excluder and they pull all honey from hives at the beginning of August they feed at once hives because hive have no stores. They press hive to wintering position.   They too have hundreds of hives and they must begin early because it takes weeks to go through all hives.



kheh, when it comes to determination about start of the winter or summer i freeze. i really don't know exactly. anyway, he told me to start feeding early because the winter bees are being layed and developed with the start of august, there aren't any strong honey flows so it's good to feed, but not to much, every second day a pint maybe, so by the end of september the feeding should be done.
the first snow comes..it had come in november but usually real snow comes in december and lasts til....march i think. depends on the year. last year, or should i say this year, there was over 100 days without sufficient temperatures for the bees. so they didn't do a "cleaning" flight in over 100 days. but this is extreme.

Offline Christopher Behl

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« Reply #19 on: August 31, 2006, 01:48:24 pm »
Brian,

From a newbee in New Mexico: My hive was captured from a swarm in July. I have just added my third deep with ten frames with drawn -out combs. I will be adding an 8 frame honey super in about three weeks. Honey, pollen and brood appear to be ever increasing in good proportions, (As far as a newbee can determine) but I'm still concerned about two things right now. Number 1. Ventilation, and I think you mentioned a 3/8th inch hole to be adaquate. Would I drill the holes in the top of the top super or some other location? How many spaced holes? It does stay well above 50F here year except for maybe two months.

And also you mentioned my number 2 question:

 (I do 1 gallon at a time) so that the bees are not strung out between the main cluster and the feeder.

In what sort of device do you feed them the 1 gallon? And I'm not quite sure what you mean by "strung out". Is this simply a distance critera, to keep them from having to travel too far?

Your comments have been very useful, as well as the other experianced beekeepers in this forum!

If you wouldn't mind a few more SIQ's (Stupid Idiot Questions) from me as  my bees and I head for winter prep, I'd sure appreciate it.

Interesting website you have also!

Thanks...Newbee in New Mexico
Chris

Offline Brian D. Bray

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« Reply #20 on: September 01, 2006, 01:27:46 am »
>>Ventilation, and I think you mentioned a 3/8th inch hole to be adaquate. Would I drill the holes in the top of the top super or some other location? How many spaced holes?  

The closer to the top the better because you want the moisture to vent out of the hive not build up and condense on the inside of the inner top.  I use a different ventilation method that vents through the inner top and the out.  But if you want to use holes I's drill them in the Rabbet area between the frames--one on each end of the hive to create circulation.

>>(I do 1 gallon at a time) so that the bees are not strung out between the main cluster and the feeder.

I use 1 gallon paint cans--you can usually get clean unused ones at any paint store for a couple of bucks.  Use a 4d nail to perforate the lids.  Don't drive them through--just enough to make a pyramid the has the point open slightly.

>>And I'm not quite sure what you mean by "strung out". Is this simply a distance critera, to keep them from having to travel too far?

In the warmer temps of winter the bees can and will travel a short distance from the main cluster to open other stores or tap a feeder as well as do other interior hive house cleaning.

By the term 8 frame I assume you are attempting to use 8 frames in a 10 frame super.  Be aware that you should first have the frames drawn most of the way out with all 10 frames in place and then remove 2 and space the rest.  Putting only 8 frames of foundation in a 10 frame super is asking for a rats nest of bridge and burr comb.  Once the frames have drawn comb reducing to 8 or 9 frames is not a problem but I do not recommend the practice--if you want more honey per super shave the end pbars to 1 1/4 inch and add another frame.  
The only purpose of fewer than the designed number of frames is to get deeper comb, thereby making uncapping easier.  Over all (the entire super) you lose about 3 lbs of honey for every frame you remove, so if you're expecting 45 pounds of honey from a 10 frame medium super your actual yield will be 42 lbs with 9 frames and 39 lbs with 8 frames.  Adding an 11th frame, however, will increase the yield closer to 50 lbs.  You will have to use the uncapping fork more often with the larger number of frames.
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Offline John Quixote

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« Reply #21 on: September 10, 2006, 05:00:53 pm »
Greetings from Utah. USA!

I don't have a whole lot of experience with wintering bees, or even beekeeping, and I've been perusing the posts here about prepping the hives for winter.

If I may give you all a little history, it may help provide more accurate answers.

I purchased two hive starts this spring after my last two hives died over the last winter.  These ladies have been working like gang-busters and at mid-August both hives were 4 boxes high.  Just this last week I harvested the top supers of each hive, each of which were nearly full.  I placed the extracted combs back on the hive for clean-up, and found that I have another super that I will harvest in another few weeks.

My bottom two boxes on each hive I have not touched, and I have a queen excluder between box 2 and 3, making the 2 top supers brood-free.

In moving my hives to a gravel bed (about 3 feet away) I found that there is a lot of comb build-up between box 1 and 2.  In fact I could not pull off box 2 without bringing out a lot of comb from box 1 (boy! Did THAT upset them!).  I've just left them alone since then.

Now, the questions:
1) Should I expect there to be enough honey in the lower 2 boxes to last the winter?
2) To be able to look in box 1 should I take a thin wire and run it between box 1 and 2 to cut the attaching comb?
3) What should I be aware of or cautious against doing when I start looking at the comb in the bottom 2 boxes?  (I'm expecting to see brood, drone, queen, and honey comb in these boxes.)
4) Should I do any re-arranging in these boxes, or trust that the bees actually know what they are doing?
5) I'm guessing that a queen excluder in the winter would leave all boxes above it untouched during the winter?  Or should I remove it and allow them access to some of the honey combs that are still there?

Sorry for so many questions, but I haven't found answers to these in the detail that I need in anything that I have read yet.

Thanks!

John
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Offline thegolfpsycho

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« Reply #22 on: September 10, 2006, 10:18:14 pm »
I'm in SLC, the canyon rim area.  I winter my bees in 2 deeps.  I was told I needed to leave 70 lbs on them to winter successfully.  2 winters ago, they came through in fine shape.  The past winter was much warmer, and they got pretty light.  Kept brooding up then having a cold snap set them back, so they went through alot of stores  I pulled my honey last month and I gave them all a heft yesterday.  Some will definitely need to be fed to get them through.
Get the queen excluder out of there.  If they move up, they will leave the queen behind.
My bees are notorious for stuffing the bottom box full of pollen and very little honey there.  I pull the honey off, then leave them alone for about 3 weeks to reorganize.  Then I feel the weight, and feed if necessary to get them tp to about 100-120 lbs.

Offline Brian D. Bray

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« Reply #23 on: September 10, 2006, 10:32:44 pm »
>>1) Should I expect there to be enough honey in the lower 2 boxes to last the winter?

In ny conversations with beekeepers throughout the USA, I have found that 2 boxes are adequate even in Alaska.

>>2) To be able to look in box 1 should I take a thin wire and run it between box 1 and 2 to cut the attaching comb?

Not necessary, get in the habit of giving a slight twist (about an1/8 turn) to a box (even supers) when pulling them from the hive.  The twist will break the burr comb so that the box can be lifted off the hive without
pulling the frames from the box below it.  However, if, in your case, the frames have already been lifted out so they are more affixed to the burr comb than the super then running some wire through like a giant cheese cutter might be advantageous.  Expect the bees to get proddy when you do this as you'll be killing a number of bees in the process.

>>3) What should I be aware of or cautious against doing when I start looking at the comb in the bottom 2 boxes? (I'm expecting to see brood, drone, queen, and honey comb in these boxes.)

Work slow, remove one frame to better enable moving the others and work across the hive.  Don't put any frame back where the queen is close to the edge--she might get crushed--herd her back towards the center of the frame if necessary.

>>4) Should I do any re-arranging in these boxes, or trust that the bees actually know what they are doing?

The bees know what they're doing better than you ever will.  Man just tries to manipulate them to his advantage--that's called hive management.

>>5) I'm guessing that a queen excluder in the winter would leave all boxes above it untouched during the winter? Or should I remove it and allow them access to some of the honey combs that are still there?

Remove all excluders during the winter.  Consolidate the hive to the equivalent of 2 deeps (3 medium 10 frame or 4 medium 8 frames).  Anything more will force the bees to use their stores faster trying to keep a larger space warm and you will loose the hive from cold or starvation of both.

You are lucky in your use of a queen excluder--beekeepers refer to it as a honey excluder or a swarm generator (my favorite term) for good reason.  
Next year give your queens as much room as she needs, even if its into a 3rd deep super.  Use the excluder late in the season to force the queen back down to the bottom 2 boxes and allow the bees to backfill what was the enlarged brood chamber with honey.  That way the hive will build up faster, gather more honey quicker, and you get the most out of your bees.
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Offline John Quixote

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« Reply #24 on: September 11, 2006, 01:47:38 pm »
Thanks so much for the replies.  This helps a lot.

Just to follow up:

Brian,

Since the bottom two boxes are full, and I'll need to place honey comb there (that is what I understood from your post, correct?).  What type of combs should I take out to make room for the honey?

As far as the queen excluder goes, there seems to be two camps about this device; "it makes no difference", and "it's more of a pain than it's worth".  I'll try that combination of the two next year that you suggested.

Thanks to you too, Psycho, for your advice!
John Quixote

Offline Brian D. Bray

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« Reply #25 on: September 11, 2006, 11:33:17 pm »
The hive will always maintain a small area for brood rearing.  As much of the frames as possible should be full of honey stores.  remove any empty  frames and replace them with full ones.  If the frames in the boxes already full then harvest any excess or freeze it (the entire frame, honey and all) and put them back on later in the winter or early spring--mid-february is a good target date.
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Offline Zoot

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« Reply #26 on: September 12, 2006, 12:52:21 am »
Brian,

I know I am in danger of belaboring this issue but here goes:

When wintering with four eight frame mediums how should one structure the composition of the 4 boxes? As stated before, my concern is the distance the bees may have to travel inside the hive from the cluster to the food stores at various times throughout the winter.

My prior experince was with the more traditional arrangement of 2 deeps and I never experienced any problems, always having left abundant stores with strong colonies.

Our excellent local beekeepers assoc. is meeting on Wed with an illustrious guest speaker (name eludes me at the moment) who will be addressing late fall management and wintering but I suspect he may have had little or no experience with using 8 frame mediums universally. Hence my deference to your knowledge. And MB's if he sees this.

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« Reply #27 on: September 13, 2006, 02:01:07 am »
Generally speaking the bees will cluster in the center of a regular 10 frame deep and then forage out to all four sides to tap the stores during the "warmer periods" of winter weather.  the cluster as a whole seems to move from one side or the other as a result of the foraging excursion.  
(I realize this goes against most data on the matter. I also realize that using an observation hive as the source of data can give tilted information because it is a smaller mass and usually kept in a warmer environment than a regular hive.)
The cluster is continually turning over the bees next to the comb make their way to the outer edge of the cluster and then back in--this is how they generate the heat.  as a result of this continual churning and the foraging the cluster seems to swing from one side to the other within the chamber.
When the vast majority of stores in the lower box is exhausted the cluster moves up in the hve and repeats to foraging to the sides.  

In a hive where a medium box is used the same principle applies.  The bees will cluster amid the center frames of the bottom box and then move up in the hive as the stores at each level are used up.  In an 8 frame hive the cluster will be a little shallower and broader than you'd find in a 10 frame deep.  The cluster is egg shaped--more pointed end down.
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Offline Zoot

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« Reply #28 on: September 13, 2006, 11:55:37 am »
With those points in mind would it feasable to structure the frames with brood in the second box up from the bottom allowing the lowest to be a food source (as well as the upper 2) ? Or should one simply let the bees make that call?

Offline Brian D. Bray

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« Reply #29 on: September 14, 2006, 01:27:24 am »
At the beginning of winter you want just the opposite--the brood frames in the bottom box.  At the end of winter the situation will be reversed with the brood area in the top box--this is why reversing the brood boxes is often recommended.
If you start with the brood chamber in the upper box the hive will use up stores on each side and then starve with the lower super completely full of untapped stores.
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Offline thegolfpsycho

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« Reply #30 on: September 16, 2006, 04:05:21 pm »
I got a call from a fellow that has a couple of my hives at his place.  He built a new home, and there is an intense late summer bloom at that altitude. (still snow in the shady areas in mid to late June)  Anyways, he called to tell me it was snowing very hard, 8 inches on the ground already, and I better come get them outta there.  Well, I tried to get them this morning, but was unable to get them out.  After rolling around in the snow getting my chains on, I was cold, wet, and STUCK!!!!   Winters a long time going up that high, but I think I can get them out in a couple days when it will warm up into the 50's at his place!  bahahahahah.  Finski, I'll call ya on long winters and raise ya one early snowstorm!!  bahahahahaha

Offline BEE C

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« Reply #31 on: September 16, 2006, 04:30:17 pm »
No snow here in my area yet but getting cold.  I prepared my two hives for winter, reducing them to two boxes.  One hive had seven frames of brood.  Last week I had much more brood capped in this hive.  Finsky you said I need a one box wintering situation with this many frames of brood.  I had a hard time getting the bees into two boxes arranged like how you said in the above post.  ALL of the frames were covered with bees, so much so that they clung to each other off the bottom of the frame.  Then I had to pour/shake bees into the hive.  There are so many that there is a huge beard up the front of both boxes.  Is this normal? Could the brood from last week have hatched and now there is crazy amount of bees?  I've built an insulated box to go over this hive so that it has a warmer interior.  Should this be ok?

Offline Brian D. Bray

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« Reply #32 on: September 17, 2006, 12:21:32 am »
when you consolidate the hive down during harvesting the supers the bees are crambed together.  This is why I leave a slatted rack on.  At this, post harvest, I still have one above and below the brood chambers.  In a few weeks I'll remove the upper one as I feed to fill in cells made available by the recently hatched brood.  The lower one is left on to act as a baffle or tehrmal layer above the bottom board and the brood boxes.  


right now it provides extra space for the extra bees.
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Offline Dick Allen

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« Reply #33 on: September 17, 2006, 12:57:08 am »
>,,,,,,I leave a slatted rack on,,,,,,

Brian, have you done that article on slatted racks yet? I'm interested in reading it for sure.

Offline Brian D. Bray

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« Reply #34 on: September 17, 2006, 01:18:49 am »
Current article: Slatted racks at www.beekeepersvoice.com/articles/bray/  will get you to my cached articles--click on the one you want.
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Offline Zoot

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« Reply #35 on: September 18, 2006, 11:29:41 am »
Brian,

I wanted to comment on one further observation about our recent assoc. meeting. During our discussion of the now famous DuBray slatted rack, along with the praise and interest there was a lot of skepticism regarding the possibility of drafts in winter, particularly when mated with an SBB. You have eloquently covered this in previous posts yet it was interesting to hear a number of hardcore types insist that solid bottom boards were an absolute necessity here in the colder weather.

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« Reply #36 on: September 18, 2006, 08:56:49 pm »
That's a normal human responce to something new.  I still get that response when talking about hive ventilation.  Some don't want to change to new methods even when it might mean more mite resistent bees (SSB), more production per hive (ventilation), or reduce swarming (Slatted racks).  Good hive management requires all three concepts being used at the same time.  Keep an open mind.

Once upon a time there was a big debate in the USA about closing the Patent office because everything that could be invented could be invented.  This discussion went on despite the fact that Thomas Alva Edison was in his hay day.  Look how much has been patented since in the 1880's when that debate occurred.  

Those who don't want to change won't, those who want to improve beekeeping will pickup on the new innovations and discover more.
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Offline John Quixote

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« Reply #37 on: September 19, 2006, 03:17:53 pm »
Brian,

Being a visual person, could you post a link to a photo of this rack?

Thanks!
John Quixote

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« Reply #38 on: September 19, 2006, 11:42:26 pm »
John Quiote,

Don't have one, I have never taken pictures of them and don't know how to post them here if I did.  Maybe Zoot could post a photo of the ones he made following my directions.  
How about it Jim?
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Offline Zoot

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« Reply #39 on: September 20, 2006, 12:13:23 am »
Working on it...I'm trying to resolve a glitch with my new scanner.

 

anything