top entries & insulation

[Finski]

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If you look Canadian recommendations about wintering, they are almost as I have clarified.

One thing  is that Canada just starts to use  polyhives. They wonder "should they wrap the hives ?". No, they need not wrapping unless with a net against woodpeckers.

If the hives are under snow, they leak so much heat that the hive will be in a snow cave. Snow melts  about half metre around the hive even if out temp is -30C. Then temp under snow will be about - 5C, or the snow reformulate when water vapour moves from warm to cold.

[Finski]

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By the way, half of leaves have fallen down from trees in this place. In Helsinki  leaves fall about a week later. In Northern Finland trees are nake. Autumn has been rainy and warm. Frost has not killed any flowers yet. Day temps are about 10C and nights near zero.

 Hives has only few brood if any.  I have shecked several hives and there is no brood. So I may give a oxalic acid dripling. One hive has about a half frame but I took them away. There were mites in every brood cell.

This time bees need not any special ventilation arrangements. They are quite active, at least if I give to  them a reason to rob.
Wasp have died away and queens are hibernating. Nihgt moths suck rotten pears.

[derekm]

How much of the bees normal cluster heat output do you think is reasonable to spend on water vapour removal.
150% (get the bees to put out more heat) ?
100% ?
50% ?
10%?

the metal roof sellers think 100%.
finski - it depends where he drills the hole and how far down the cluster is, for the sake of argumentlets  call it 50%
open top entrances are 100%+
what do you think you should do ?

[Finski]

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I think that I should do nothing. Nothing new on eastern front.

[rdy-b]

How much of the bees normal cluster heat output do you think is reasonable to spend on water vapour removal.
150% (get the bees to put out more heat) ?
100% ?
50% ?
10%?

the metal roof sellers think 100%.
finski - it depends where he drills the hole and how far down the cluster is, for the sake of argumentlets  call it 50%
open top entrances are 100%+
what do you think you should do ?

  DRILL A HOLE--- X:X   RDY-B

[Finski]

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Beekeeping is full splended technical ideas.
I weight them  with two views:

- does it bring more honey
- does it make nursing easier

if not, forget it

the winner of this ventilation debate series is: an empty box under the brood box plus an empty box over the hive where you drill 20 holes to ventilate moisture from empty box.


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[BlueBee]

Hives has only few brood if any.  I have shecked several hives and there is no brood.

Wasp have died away and queens are hibernating. Nihgt moths suck rotten pears.

Finski, are you going to winter any nucs this year?  I checked my super insulated foam nucs yesterday and found a frame of eggs in each.  Looks like I’ll have brood up until at least November.  We’ve had a relatively mild fall, but in my continental climate, as soon as Canada decides to send down some arctic air, we will freeze up in a hurry.  Leaves are changing colors now.

Lots of yellow jackets sucking on rotten pears here.

This thread is sounding like political debate class!  Maybe we need to get some instrumentation in these hives and compare numbers over winter?    

[T Beek]

There's a lot of 'non-info' on this thread (confusing to both new and old beeks).  What a shame as some will take the advise (?) and kill bees without realizing they were only part of an ongoing peeing match.

Preconceived, judgemental notions, some have pockets overflowing.

For too many its just not enough to disagree :'( :'( :'(

As for N/W Wisconsin; Leaves are about 1/3 gone after yesterdays and last nights wind (hit peak colors a week ago).  Almost time to plant garlic and pack up bees for winter.  With nothing blooming for bees and exceptional above average temps my four colonies have already sucked down over 100 lbs of sugar.  I agree, yellowjackets are feasting this year.  Can't keep this up much longer, we need winter asap :).

thomas

[Finski]

Finski, are you going to winter any nucs this year?  I checked my super insulated foam nucs yesterday and found a frame of eggs in each.

yes, I have several mating nucs still.  I have enlarged several to one box colony with joining, but some will be in 3 frame nucs with electrict heating. And some are between those.

It has rained really much and I have not opportunity to join extra nucs. These are best queens and i do not mind to kill them.

I chake the bees on capped crystallized honey frames.