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Author Topic: beesness as usual?  (Read 3758 times)

Offline JRS

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beesness as usual?
« on: January 28, 2007, 06:16:06 pm »
Im new to keeping and i know that temp. has a role to play,im in louisiana and we have such a diverse range in temp. like this week alone it was low 50 high 60 one day end of the week mid 20 high 50.i think the bees dont fly unless its in the 57 range? if it is a mild temp sunny  plenty water is it ok to work the hive and how much is to much?
The only stupid question is the question unasked,thanx for the help.

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2007, 07:33:46 pm »
>i think the bees dont fly unless its in the 57 range?

I see mine flying well below 50 F.  The Italians didn't but the feral stock does.  They will do a cleansing flight in the mid to low fourties.  They will forage around 47 F or so on a calm sunny day.

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Offline JRS

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #2 on: January 28, 2007, 07:57:07 pm »
ok well what about working with them?
The only stupid question is the question unasked,thanx for the help.

Offline Kirk-o

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2007, 08:28:06 pm »
My Bees are Feral and they stay busy at tempatures similar to what Michael said.I don't work with them unless it is alot warmer
kirk-o
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2007, 09:58:18 pm »
I might open the top and peek in or put on a pollen patty when it's 32 F or so.  But I wouldn't pull brood frames out unless it's warm enough for them to fly and then I wouldn't keep them out long unless it's at least 60 F or so and preferably 70 F or so.
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
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Offline Understudy

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2007, 11:13:37 am »
Just to let you all know it is 51F/10.5C currently at 10:13am (GMT -5). My bees are going and going and going. Lots of pollen and traffic.

Sincerely,
Brendhan
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Offline pdmattox

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2007, 08:56:22 pm »
Here in Florida I have seem them flying (Italians)  at 45 and sunny.

Offline Finsky

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2007, 01:58:02 am »
>i think the bees dont fly unless its in the 57 range?

I see mine flying well below 50 F.  The Italians didn't but the feral stock does.  They will do a cleansing flight in the mid to low fourties.  They will forage around 47 F or so on a calm sunny day.


I have had feral bees. They are same as tamed bees. Michael, you are not honest to beginners. I do not recommend feral to anyoone. I have had them as much as Micheal. Dont worry.

* Bees may fly if it is brigh sun shine and there are low weeds blooming on the surface of ground. I think that that flying is not usefull. Just flying.

* I followed bees what really happens, because my collaques here wrote that their carniolan fly in temperature 47F. Bees are able to collect pollen balls in their legs when temperature is 61F. Same is told in Australia report.

*** Our plants generate honey when temperature is whole  week 73 F. That is weather when bees collect surplus honey.

*** If weather are long 63F bees are not able to get surplus honey because there is no nectar on field.

*** Clovers need moist soil and continuous day temperature 77F that they exrecete a lot nectar. Canola stops nectar secreting when temp is 77F.

I have had many races and I have now. They are able to get same yield it there is something to collect.

Bees fly even 35 F if they need badly drinking water, even italians.

I LIVE ON THE LEVEL OF ALASKA. WHEN BEES FLY HERE USEFULLY IT MUST BE OVER 68F TEPM. FLOWERS DO NOT GIVE NECTAR UNDER THAT TEMP.

BUT IF FLYING IN LOW TEMPERATURES IS MOST IMPORTANT TO BEES, IT IS SAME WHAT YOU HAVE. BEES JUST KILL THEMSELVES WHEN THEY FLY VAINLY.

.



Offline Finsky

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2007, 02:27:22 am »
.
I had famous carniolans 10 years. They were from Slovenia. Best average yield was 260 lbs/hive and worst  70 lbs. 10 years average was 100 lbs.

Before Carniolans I had 120 lbs/hive.  The reason why average yield dropped was that in many years Carciolans escaped when their turn was to start work for me. They are eager to swarm if weathers are bad.

I returned to Italians and after that my average yield has been 160 lbs per hive.

We have only 2 blooming months June and July when surplus honey is possible.  2-box wintered hives are able to forage surplus in June and one box wintered in July.

Main flowers are to me dandelion, raspberry, canola and fireweed.  Farming has changed so much that clovers are not important in yield but clover pollen is very important. In August we have few flowers even if weather are good to bees.

Beekeeper fools  himself if he think more what his bees and pastures are.  I have heard from so many beekeepers how good are just their bees but I must make much work all the time to keep them good. It is not easy.

Not to fool mys self, that is the most difficult in beekeeping. It depends what you want. Some want honey, some friends, some all kind of equipments and what ever.  I love nature but I need challenges too. Otherwise I will become bored. To keep interest on these 45 years is hard job.

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Offline JRS

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2007, 08:00:49 pm »
thanks for the info from everyone.I think it's great you stuck with it for over 40 years Fin.Good luck this year everyone.
The only stupid question is the question unasked,thanx for the help.

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2007, 08:35:15 pm »
>They are same as tamed bees.

Everyone I know who has the ones surviving here, now, has said they fly at much lower temperatures, overwinter in much smaller clusters and use much less stores.

Mine certainly do.
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
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Offline JRS

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2007, 08:47:03 pm »
My bees are feral too,micheal (too far to drive to buy them) like to know about feral vs. bought.
The only stupid question is the question unasked,thanx for the help.

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2007, 09:50:49 pm »
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
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"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline Finsky

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #13 on: January 31, 2007, 01:39:03 am »
>They are same as tamed bees.

Everyone I know who has the ones surviving here, now, has said they fly at much lower temperatures, overwinter in much smaller clusters and use much less stores.

Mine certainly do.

I believe that. In USA you deliver southern bee stock up even to Alaska. Migratory beekeeping spreads same bee stocks from south to north and then backwards to California. I suppose that  you do not have  local bee stocks like in European countries.   When I byed queens from Italy their habit to winter is different. Natural selection takes away quickly those colonies which have not local abilities.

Continuous package bee business takes care that it is difficult to get local bee stock.

However, I have kept 30 years feral like bees and I have nothing good to say about them. They had small clusters, used little stores ja gathered honey in low in low temperatures but they brought 1/3 honey yield compared to "tamed bees". They swarmed, they were nasty. I cannot see any advantage however in these creatures. There were feral like bees in numerous farmhouses and those beekeepers did not even nursed them. Varroa kicked them first to bee heaven. 30% of beekeeprs stopped beekeeping during those years when varroa arrived.

Still like I said, our flowers do not give nectar in low temperatures. Most of time wether is very good to fly but there is no nectar in flowers. The sugar content of plant must be good to get yield.  The capacity to forage when flowers are full of nectar is more important than fly all the time.

You must live in solitary place that other bee stocks do not mix your gene pool.  When hobbiest have some hives, he has no opportunity to keep his strain.

He will se who lives....

.

.

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: beesness as usual?
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2007, 05:06:03 pm »
Finsky said: In USA you deliver southern bee stock up even to Alaska. Migratory beekeeping spreads same bee stocks from south to north and then backwards to California.

Exactly.  If you want winterable bees you must get bees from a climate setting as close to yours as possible.  In not the packaged bees then the queens which will produce the overwinter stock.  To my knowledge there are no packaged bee producers in the State of Washington, hence I must get my masses of bees from northern California.  But Washington does have a queen producer--Wilderness Apiary in Post Angeles on the Penisula.  I get the same weather on an hour or two delay so getting my queens locally is the best bet for sustaning stock.
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