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Author Topic: What temp do your B's fly ?  (Read 7907 times)

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: What temp do your B's fly ?
« Reply #20 on: November 05, 2012, 05:51:12 pm »
It varies by genetics, by sunshine, by wind or calmness of wind.  I typically don't expect to see them flying unless it's 50 F.  But they often sneak in a cleansing flight at cooler temps and I once time saw them on a dead calm day (a rarity in Nebraska) with the sun shining brightly and they had a steady stream going to and from somewhere (all of them in the same direction) while it was 27 F.  I've never seen it before or since...
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Offline T Beek

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Re: What temp do your B's fly ?
« Reply #21 on: November 05, 2012, 06:41:03 pm »
What time of the year was that occurrence Michael?  Spring or Fall? 

My bees are surrounded by forest, lakes, ponds and bits of prairie.  In the Spring they find the Skunk Cabbage in a nearby bog before we can smell it (it can/does flower in the snow) and when its just a bit above freezing (32F) we've seen them hitting on it.

We had 40F, calm w/ bright sunshine today.  While placing hay around the beeyard I noticed that all 8 of my hives were busy at the entrances and flying off somewhere and for what, only they know  :-\. 

Propolis perhaps?  I'd think it would be too cold to collect right now, no? 

Could be water as the nearest pond hasn't quite frozen over yet, but there's been plenty of frost for water available. 

One of the many wonders of keeping these fabulous creatures.
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Offline Finski

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Re: What temp do your B's fly ?
« Reply #22 on: November 06, 2012, 01:24:39 am »
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In Finland cleansing flight happens when  temp is 42F / 5C , bright sun, no wind. It is normally two feet snow then.

The cleansing flight in February is impossible because angle of sun shine is so small that it does not heat the bee body.

After that bees stay again in their cabins over a month because there is no reason to fly out.


Angle of winter sun is so low that it does not heat even if out temp is +5C in the middle of winter.
Sun starts to melt snow in Mach in vertical surfaces but not in horizontal snow.
Snow melst away about 15.4.

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Offline Finski

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Re: What temp do your B's fly ?
« Reply #23 on: November 06, 2012, 01:31:58 am »
It varies by genetics, by sunshine, by wind or calmness of wind.  I typically don't expect to see them flying unless it's 50 F.  ...


That is my opinion too. I wonder what is wrong if bees fly in under 50F conditions.
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Offline BlueBee

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Re: What temp do your B's fly ?
« Reply #24 on: November 06, 2012, 01:40:41 am »
I’m with T Beek, I see my bees flying at temps well below 50F, especially in the spring.  Maybe our local bees are adapted to our local climates as T says?

Offline Finski

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Re: What temp do your B's fly ?
« Reply #25 on: November 06, 2012, 01:58:50 am »
I’m with T Beek, I see my bees flying at temps well below 50F, especially in the spring.  Maybe our local bees are adapted to our local climates as T says?
my bees forage water to larva feeding near freezing point but to me it is not flying if they fly 5 metres from the hive.

i do not count that as flying
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Offline T Beek

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Re: What temp do your B's fly ?
« Reply #26 on: November 06, 2012, 08:14:35 am »
Yesterday my bees were traveling (in 40F temp & a sunny day) considerably farther than a few meters, mainly heading in the direction of a nearby bog.  With temps going well below freezing for several weeks there is no forage available. 

Are bees capable of collecting propolis when its this cold?

Question for Finski:  If I understand correctly, You've implied that in Finland syrup is fed to bees in the Fall and lasts until March/April. 

Doesn't it freeze solid?  If not how do you keep it fresh and freeze free(i know you experiment w/ heaters, perhaps that's what you were referring to...??  My bees won't even take cold syrup much less frozen syrup. 

Is this perhaps a 'language barrier' thing  :-D?
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Offline Finski

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Re: What temp do your B's fly ?
« Reply #27 on: November 06, 2012, 09:16:35 am »

Question for Finski:  If I understand correctly, You've implied that in Finland syrup is fed to bees in the Fall and lasts until March/April. 

Doesn't it freeze solid?  If not how do you kee

syrup lasts to May. If it lasts only to cleansing flight, all hives  will die. Cleansing flight is in March or In April. Then hives start to comsume more food because they have brood.

Sugar syrup will never harden or crystallised. Real honey is crystallized in combs.

Cluster temp in winter is 23C and the food has same temp.

In pheripheria stores are cold but not inside the cluster.

Willow starts to bloom 1.5 and up to that date bees are very silent in their hives.
Before that hives cannot do much brood because they have not pollen in the hive.
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Offline T Beek

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Re: What temp do your B's fly ?
« Reply #28 on: November 06, 2012, 12:05:48 pm »
You must be describing syrup that was fed then put into cells by the bees, right?  That would make sense. 

I envisioned a feeder of some sort 'freezing' solid on top of your bees and wondered how you kept it from freezing in Finland, but if its 'feed/syrup' that you provided and the bees have converted and capped I understand. 

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Offline Finski

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Re: What temp do your B's fly ?
« Reply #29 on: November 06, 2012, 01:12:34 pm »
You must be describing syrup that was fed then put into cells by the bees, right?  That would make sense. 



one box hive tajes winter food in 2-3 days.

2-box hive needs one week.

it take 2 weeks after that that they cap the food.

if feeding is too late, bees leave it uncapped.
That may cause that syrup get moisture and swells out.
Perhaps they do not get syrup dry enough or wax work needs higher out temperature.

i feed with 8 litre box the syrup.


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