Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??  (Read 2664 times)

Offline hollybees

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 177
  • Gender: Male
Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
« 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



Offline buzzbee

  • Ken
  • Global Moderator
  • Galactic Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 5930
  • Gender: Male
    • N Central Pa Beekeepers Facebook Page
Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
« Reply #1 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!!

Offline DaveKow

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 180
  • Gender: Male
Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
« Reply #2 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.

Offline hollybees

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 177
  • Gender: Male
Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2009, 09:20:11 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

Offline mherndon

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 145
  • Gender: Male
  • New Bee
Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
« Reply #4 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
Starting my 3rd year and still having a ball!

Offline DaveKow

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 180
  • Gender: Male
Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
« Reply #5 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

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2009, 07:02:05 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.
« Last Edit: January 26, 2009, 11:32:13 pm by Brian D. Bray »
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Online Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19832
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
« Reply #7 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.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline BEES4U

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 94
  • Gender: Male
    • E. B. LUCAS APIARIES
Re: Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??
« Reply #8 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
E. B. LUCAS APIARIES
bees4u.com
(Queen Breeder)