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Author Topic: Bees not taking sugar water  (Read 21769 times)

Offline Finsky

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Re: Bees not taking sugar water
« Reply #40 on: November 04, 2006, 12:05:14 pm »


Upper entrance helps when bees die so much that lower entrance is blocked. That happens when hive has nosema.

If climate is mild, bees fly out to die fo nosema. If it is too frost, bees die inside and fall onto bottom.

My upper entrances are in winter the size that I may put my little finger in. Bigger is unnecessary. During hard frost -20C upper entrance is blocked with ice crystals which come from bees' respiration air.

 

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Bees not taking sugar water
« Reply #41 on: November 04, 2006, 06:53:54 pm »
And now, hopefully, we can get back to Finsky's suggestion of putting a dividing board in the hive to make a smaller space for the bees to keep warm. 
It's a good idea, one I endorse, as it is much like reducing the small or weak hive to the size of a nuc and wntering that.  Extra space takes extra heat which means the bees consume stores at a faster rate.  Reducing space prolongs the available stores as it allows the bees to make the best use of those stores.
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Offline Finsky

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Re: Bees not taking sugar water
« Reply #42 on: November 05, 2006, 12:48:34 am »
suggestion of putting a dividing board in the hive to make a smaller space for the bees to keep warm. 

Towards spring, when bees start to raise brood they raise winter ball temperature from 23C to 32C.  ( 73F --> 90F). Then the heat loss is much more bigger and they are not able to widden brood area as in warm room. Then bees consume food faster.

Offline Zoot

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Re: Bees not taking sugar water
« Reply #43 on: November 05, 2006, 01:19:28 am »
Brian,

When istalling a diving board(s) in a box does one also have to install a board at the bottom of the space that is "divided" off to keep the bees from coming up into that void? It seems that a simple vertical board would only stop lateral migration, not vertical, upwards migration.

Offline Finsky

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Re: Bees not taking sugar water
« Reply #44 on: November 05, 2006, 05:22:20 am »
Brian,

does one also have to install a board at the bottom of the space that is "divided" off to keep the bees from coming up into that void?

I use to prefer the wall which is a little bit open in lower part.

1) When bees go to empty part they are easy to come back
2) When you install the the diving board you may use two systems:
 2a old inner cover push the board down or
 2b board is higher than inner cover. So you cut from styrofoam ne proper inner cover.

When spring comes and you enlarge bees' room the flexible system is better. When you take room off or add frames 2a works best.

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Bees not taking sugar water
« Reply #45 on: November 06, 2006, 12:52:54 am »
The hive body can be divided into 2 or 3 sections or cut so it can be used either way (this makes 2 5 frame nucs or 3 3 frame nucs.  Just make a 1/4 inch saw cut up the inner wall of each end section for each divider board desired. Oversize cut the dividerboard so that its bottom rests on the bottom board and about 3/8 inches sticks above the top edge of the hive body to enclose the open space between the top of the frames and the inner top.  Using 1/4 inch plywood works well.
You can use the hives so divided as holding nucs for extra queens, rearing your own queens, or wintering nucs. 
If you use divider boards a inner top can also be made so that all sections (2 or 3) can be fed at the same time without problems--just cut the necessary holes in an extra inner top and use it when needed.
When wintering with divider boards it is important to remember that the small masses of bees will require more attention during the winter--more feeding required. Also they should be expanded into larger nucs ASAP in the spring.
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Offline Greg Peck

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Re: Bees not taking sugar water
« Reply #46 on: November 06, 2006, 05:52:30 pm »
Thanks for all the input. I have placed a piece of Styrofoam under the inner cover, added a screenless bottom board, and will probably be insulating 1/2 the hive and wraping the whole thing in tar paper. I noticed today that the bees are still out getting pollen from somewhere.

As far as the vent for the top of the hive, I have an inner cover that has a small notch cut out of the one end for a top entrance. Is this good enough or should I make a 1/2 or 3/4 inch hole towards the top for a bigger top entrance/vent?

Thanks
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Bees not taking sugar water
« Reply #47 on: November 06, 2006, 06:08:41 pm »
If you're using the standard bottom board entrance the notch in the inner top to vent moisture should be adequate.
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Offline Trot

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Re: Bees not taking sugar water
« Reply #48 on: November 06, 2006, 08:15:54 pm »
Greg,

I see that you made up your mind? That is good! One should listen, read and learn
and also know how to make ones own decisions.
Don't' forget!  No insulation on the front of the hives, if they are facing the sun! 
As it was already said here, such findings tend to work in areas where they are practiced and are not universal...
I insulated my hives for many years and when you run bees for profit, small things are not important, especially if they consume time or money - which is the same thing when you come to the bottom line...
With time I began asking myself: "Why were some winters, healthy, strong hives dying?  They had plenty of food?
With time I had realized what was going on and the answer was simple, but sometimes hard to see.
The insulation has locked the hives in cold and they were not able to move.  Most the time food was only inch or two away.
Of course, if one is lucky and blessed with a few sunny days now and again, than everything is well and nobody is the wiser.

Finsky's bees do well for 9 moths of winter and I am glad. But than only he knows how many make it and how many don't. And lets remind ourselves that he also uses heaters.

Our bees are in a cluster about 8 months, give or take a few days.  I did some testing with heaters last winter - without the bees - cause they are 124 km away.  I determined that that extra heat is just enough what keeps the area on centre from dripping?  I also found, as he said, the sides and corners would be frosty and on warmer days - dripping. One big plus with heaters is that it keeps bottom board relatively dry.  My observation was, that if heater wasn't on the bottom board - hive would be probably half full with ice.

This is like space exploration. Both, Ruskis and Americans are there, but we all know at what greater cost did one achieve the same over the other!

Regards,
Frank

Offline Finsky

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Re: Bees not taking sugar water
« Reply #49 on: November 06, 2006, 09:47:45 pm »
Greg,

Finsky's bees do well for 9 moths of winter and I am glad. But than only he knows how many make it and how many don't. And lets remind ourselves that he also uses heaters.


I have had 45 years bees and I have used heaters 3 years. I use heaters only for raising brood in spring after cleansing flight, not for wintering.

Offline Trot

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Re: Bees not taking sugar water
« Reply #50 on: November 07, 2006, 12:37:29 pm »
Thanks Finsky.  So noted...

Regards,
Frank