One brood box colonies

[Cindi]

I am overwintering my 4 colonies in a single brood chamber.  I think that they are doing OK, last time I checked was over a week ago when I gave the O.A. trickle.  Each had 6 frames of bees.  As I am finding out more and more, this is not an overly strong colony situation.  But next year will be different.

I am glad that I squeezed these large colonies down into one box each, because they very obviously did not require 2 boxes and probably were warmer, due to their small size, in one box.   At the time when I shook them into the single box, I wondered how earth they would have fit in one box because the box looked full to the brim.  Now is different.

I had to do some uniting with colonies that were not doing well, the result being (these are disease free) I have many frames of pollen and lots with honey and pollen both.  I also have many frames of food from when I reduced down to one box.  These have all been put in the freezer (I have an extra deep freezer) ready for this upcoming season.  Don't know if I have done things right, we will see what comes.

Our bees in our Lower Mainland are in full swing brood production by the middle of February.  My intention around the middle of January is to give each of the 4 colonies a second box that has frames of pollen and honey.  I will leave the middle 3 frames for the brood laying.  this will certainly ensure that they will have lots of food for the remainder of the winter here, which does not carry on as long as many other people I hear of on the forum.

If there are any comments on my discussion, they would be more than welcomed.  Great day. Cindi

[Finsky]

Our bees in our Lower Mainland are in full swing brood production by the middle of February.  My intention around the middle of January is to give each of the 4 colonies a second box that has frames of pollen and honey. 

If you have now 6 frames bees, it is not possible that from this 2 weeks ahead it is wise to give another box.

When bees start to raise new workers it takes 1-1,5 month before tha volume of bees start to grow.  with small colony 6 frames it surely takes 1,5 -2 months. After that box is full of new bees and wintered bees have almost all dead. 

Pollen frames should be immedeately aside brood area and on edges sugar/honey. If hive has too much honey frames it is usefull take vain frames away.

When brooding starts with it full force, first number of nurser bees limits the volume of brood area. It takes 4 weeks and huge number of new nurser bees start to take care of larvae. After that the temperature of hive limits the growth of colony.  An the limit factor is rainy weeks and night temperature. People like to look best days.

 (Mapple Ridge is at same latitude like south peak of England of north France. Perhaps you have some palm trees in gardens like in London. :) You surely has cold night in spring. )

When are your apple trees  in bloom?


 

[Cindi]

If you have now 6 frames bees, it is not possible that from this 2 weeks ahead it is wise to give another box.

When bees start to raise new workers it takes 1-1,5 month before tha volume of bees start to grow.  with small colony 6 frames it surely takes 1,5 -2 months. After that box is full of new bees and wintered bees have almost all dead. 

Pollen frames should be immedeately aside brood area and on edges sugar/honey. If hive has too much honey frames it is usefull take vain frames away.

When brooding starts with it full force, first number of nurser bees limits the volume of brood area. It takes 4 weeks and huge number of new nurser bees start to take care of larvae. After that the temperature of hive limits the growth of colony.  An the limit factor is rainy weeks and night temperature. People like to look best days.

 (Mapple Ridge is at same latitude like south peak of England of north France. Perhaps you have some palm trees in gardens like in London. :) You surely has cold night in spring. )

When are your apple trees  in bloom?

Finsky, thank you, very good.  You have much information that I need to re-read because sometimes I don't quite understand what you say, but I am trying hard to work with your information and understand it.  It is good stuff.
I will not give the second chamber as you said, yes, that makes good sense.  I will give the frames to the bottom box if it is necessary for extra food, but I think that they have enough for a fair long time, considering the small size.

There are no palm trees in my immediate vicinity, nor even very close by.  On an island called Salt Spring, which is further southward and westward by a little bit, they have a more temperate zone, they have palm trees and such.  The apple trees bloom:  I will have to look at records and see.  I do not know right off the top of my head.  We do have cold night in spring.

Our last free frost day is usually judged to be about the end of April.  We can be assured that the tender annual plants will not freeze and that is when gardeners can feel that it is a safe time to begin to set their tender plants outside from inside their greenhouse, homes, nurseries where they have bought plants, and so on.  Sometimes we do not even get any frost in April.  April can be very mild.  Great day, Finsky, I love your comments.  Cindi

[Finsky]

Our last free frost day is usually judged to be about the end of April.  We can be assured that the tender annual plants will not freeze and that is when gardeners can feel that it is a safe time to begin to set their tender plants outside from inside their greenhouse, homes, nurseries where they have bought plants, and so on.  Sometimes we do not even get any frost in April.  April can be very mild.  Great day, Finsky, I love your comments.  Cindi

In our country the last frost day is 10.6. and then we plant summer flowers out.  That is the day when dandelion blooming is over. 

[Cindi]

Finsky, June 10, last frost free date, setting summer plants out, dandelion bloom over.  I actually never realized how late your winter stays with your part of the woods.  That is at least 40 days past our frost date.  Wow.  So I am even more amazed at the harvest of honey that your bees provide.  Excellent!!

Best I could do with the date for apple bloom was to look at picture of the cherry bloom here, and the dandelion bloom.
Cherry bloom April 24





Dandelion bloom April 19, the dandelion are the same as yours?  The foliage can grow to about 2 feet tall, very robust looking plants.  I think they bloom for at least two weeks, therefore, end of bloom period would be say May 5 at latest?

[KONASDAD]

forsythia blooms indicate spring here is in full swing.

[Brian D. Bray]

I watch for the bees to start beinging in pollen from willows in February, then feed both pollen substture and syrup or Fondant to help the bees begin the brood build up.  It seems to put the bees about 2 weeks ahead of what would be expected normally.

[Finsky]

Cherry bloom April 24

 So I am even more amazed at the harvest of honey that your bees provide. 

In my home we had four children. When graduated in different years, all childrend have photographed with parents against flowering cherry bush. Date was last of May when school was finished.

The most important is to select splended queens from professional sellers.  40 years ago the yield was 1/4-1/3 .

I change queens every year.  Laying capacity of 2-year old queens are often under average. But that is awfull if new queen generation is worse than 2 year old queens'. It is hard to find good mother queen from own small yard.

[Finsky]

Time table of spring build up.

Yet some years ago I have not followed how hives grow up in spring. I thought that it takes time what it takes.

To get dandelion honey and  early summer's honey it needs here  that I start to feed 2-box hives with pollen patty  2 months earlier than dandelions bloom.  So I get enough old foragers into hive.  Foragers are normally over 3 weeks old bees and wintered bees are all dead when dandelion bloom.

If hive has only one box bees in winter, that hive is able to forage after  2.5 months.

6-frame hive is impossible even if I help it with emerging bees from big hives. During two months I am able to get 6-frame nuc full of brood. All bees' energy goes to brood raising. I can use that hive when I put 2 week hive together or I join brood to swarmed hive.

The advantage of 2-box wintered hives and early feeding reaches to blooming of raspberry. It starts blooming 24.6. and it is best swarming time. Our swarming time is 1 month long.

Now I have used terrarium heaters in spring build up and the volume of brooding is very different than mere patty feeding. The advantage will be lost if I am not able to prevent swarming. And big hives are eager to swarm.

In Finland professionals use smaller hives. They keep queen in one box and prefer to over winter in one deep. One reason is that they cell nucs and hives and extra large hives they devide into nucs. System is different than I do.

Professional use limited brood area here. Hives are easier to handle.  Variations are many. Some keep queen in lowest box and bees go into entrance in second box. Some keep queen in topmost box. Some put excluder in at the end of yield. Some lift all brood over excluder like in Australia.

Terrarium heater is usefull if out temperature is under 15C.  You can connect wires to "frost quard" thermostat and you may setup the temperature.
.

[Cindi]

Finksy, thank you, interesting accounting.  Reading, listening, compiling information, possibly implementation.  great day. Cindi