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Author Topic: Winters finally here !  (Read 8641 times)

Offline tefer2

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Winters finally here !
« on: December 31, 2011, 08:49:57 am »
Well, it sounds like we are going to get 4 to 6 inches of snow Sunday. Time to mount the plow, find the shovels, and dig out the snowblower. I was really enjoying all this southern type winter climate we are having up here.
I'm not missing the snow this year but the ski resort sure is.

Offline BjornBee

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2011, 08:58:24 am »
You need to slide on over to Wisconsin Fells, and slide down the slopes on those indoor heated, water rides. That's the type winter fun I'm talking about!  :-D
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Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2011, 10:58:18 am »
62F and blue skies today.  But I understand it might drop below freezing later in the week.   :evil:
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Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2011, 11:16:06 am »
Looks like we're going to get a breath of winter for the new year, too.  I'm wondering what it will do to the camellias that are blooming...probably burn them pretty bad.   Ah well, the whites are about through but the red ones are just coming on. :-\

At least we're bumping up into the 50's during the daytime and eventually back into the 60's.   Ed

Hi 69 °F     Saturday (today)
Lo 52 °F    Saturday
Hi 69 °F   Sunday
Lo 32 °F   Sunday
Hi 53 °F   Monday
Lo 25 °F   Monday
Hi 50 °F   Tuesday
Lo 21 °F   Tuesday
Hi 55 °F     Wednesday
Lo 33 °F    Wednesday
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American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

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Offline Vance G

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2011, 12:46:47 pm »
No luck here!  Winter is still AWOL and no moisture which we badly need.  Has no business being above freezing New Years eve.   But, the hive count is still the same and I know they have plenty of stores so life is good for now.

Offline T Beek

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #5 on: January 02, 2012, 09:49:52 am »
We're 'finally' going to get below zero tonight and tommorrow, but a return to above freezing and possibly forties is in the forecast for later in the week. 

Warmest and dryest winter (and Fall) in my lifetime (going to be 61) and it hasn't been good for my bees (or snowmobile rs).

thomas
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Offline Michael Bach

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2012, 08:15:26 pm »
Cold today with below zero tonight.  Wont last long.....upper 40's for this weekend with no big snow storms in sight.

A bit of justice I guess.........cold summer with 80" of rain and a 2 feet of snow in late october that destoyed everything in sight.

Offline AllenF

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2012, 08:17:47 pm »
Dang cold here.    And no snow.    I can take the cold if there is a reason for it like snow.   I am ready for spring.

Offline Vance G

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2012, 09:38:31 am »
It is 50 right now and the wind is howling.  Supposed to hit sixty.  Last year at this time we were in the deep freeze.

Offline AliciaH

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2012, 06:24:25 pm »
The rain has finally come back the the PNW.  Mid 40s during the day, 30s at night.

Had a great chance to check on hives this past weekend, we got into the upper 50s and sunny!  Unfortunately, we were still finishing up the Christmas rounds with family.

Who knows when I'll get my next chance!

Offline tefer2

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2012, 07:41:37 pm »
I'd sure like a shot at some upper 50s temps for a quick look. I have a few that I'm worried about already.
They are talking mid-forties by Friday, good bye to all the home made snow at the ski hill. Glad I don't have any money in that place.

Offline T Beek

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #11 on: January 05, 2012, 07:31:35 am »
With a prediction of 47F I'm going in for a look today.

thomas
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Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #12 on: January 05, 2012, 08:53:48 am »
21F yesterday at sunrise....41F this morning at sunrise...predictions for getting back into the low 70's this weekend......
www.beeweather.com 
American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism."..."The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev

"Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they wont come to yours." - Yogi Berra

Offline danno

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #13 on: January 05, 2012, 09:01:03 am »
You need to slide on over to Wisconsin Fells, and slide down the slopes on those indoor heated, water rides. That's the type winter fun I'm talking about!  :-D
I'm sure you ment to say Wisconsin Dells.  I grew up there on the castle rock flowage.  It was so quiet back then in the 60s.  Its got to big for my taste.

Offline tefer2

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #14 on: January 05, 2012, 09:13:15 am »
Thomas, let us know how that went. Sounds like I may have a chance to check on those in question too.
Normally, there would be no way to open them this time of year. Going for it !

Offline T Beek

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #15 on: January 05, 2012, 03:14:18 pm »
40F w/ bright sunshine right now and I have bees flying, dropping yellow 'polka-dots' in the snow and dragging out the dead in both of my Langs colonies.  My LONG Hive isn't as active but it also has bees flying today.

January is 'typically' our coldest month in Northern Wisconsin (we're about 280 miles north of the above mentioned DELLS).  We should be in the middle of our annual deep freeze right now.  We should be below zero.

I'm going down to dump sugar (if needed) in my hives, won't be going any further than that today, since I already know they're alive :).

thomas
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Offline gailmo

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #16 on: January 05, 2012, 04:13:44 pm »
It is pushing 60° here.  I pulled some honey frames out of the freezer this morning and they have thawed.  I was thinking of opening up the top box and checking honey supplies....pulling empty frames and putting in honey filled frames.

Does that sound like a good plan.....or should I be dumping sugar instead and saving the honey frames for later in the season?


Offline T Beek

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #17 on: January 05, 2012, 06:21:02 pm »
Definitely a good plan.  Just make sure those frames are fully thawed and at room temp before placing them inside hives.

thomas
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Offline gailmo

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #18 on: January 05, 2012, 06:29:34 pm »
Update from my message above!  I opened the hive this afternoon-- the temperature was hovering around 63°. The girls were mildly angry....but not as bad as when I was working them in late August before I left the country for three months.

I checked the top honey super and pulled about 5 empty frames on the edges of the super and replaced them with full frames of honey--it was fully thawed.  The center section of the super was full of bees and I didn't want to pull those frames because I felt like it would have been a major disturbance.  I used the bee brush to get all the bees off the pulled frames and buttoned the hive back up.  I left the plastic bag that had the honey frames from the freezer in it outside the hive because it had lots of honey smeared all over it.  The girls are still out taking advantage of this stuff right now since the temperature is still amazingly warm.

Hopefully this will tide them over for a few more weeks.  I still have about 3 full frames of honey in the freezer and if it gets warm again towards the end of January or early February, I will stick those in the top super.  Once that is gone....it is solid sugar until spring hits.

I have already lost one hive this winter....but I think it was because I was gone from late August until December and was unable to do any fall maintenance.  I think they swarmed in late summer because the hive was very full when I left...and then didn't requeen....when I got home and checked the hive....all I had left was a small ball of dead bees and a few frames with some honey.   So now I am building swarm traps and hopefully will get some new bees to add hives.  

Offline Vance G

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Re: Winters finally here !
« Reply #19 on: January 05, 2012, 09:28:56 pm »
High winds and dry snowless prairies and a blown down power line has tens of thousands of acres burning in NW Montana.  Sparsely populated country but some buildings and hay stacks going up!  We need some cold and snow!