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Author Topic: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (Read 29637 times)

Offline T Beek

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #60 on: January 21, 2011, 05:34:13 pm »
backyard warrior and Acebird;  If it wasn't BELOW ZERO I'd do it right now, please go back and read the "entire post"

(doesn't everyone get perturbed repeating the same thing to those not bothering to "read")

Acebird; Most Northern beeks who've been keeping bees a while have had their bees starve with plenty of stores available during periods of extended cold.  "MY" (just mine) bees likely consumed "too" much of their stores in November when we had extended temps in the 60s and 70s (normal is 25-30F) and there was NOTHING  for them to forage on, thus, despite my efforts to feed like crazy, I've lost two colonies and may loose another if I cannot "determine" if they need stores (cant do that until it warms up some more to get a peek) and give them some feed.  

But if you'd read above, you would have found all is well with all of my hives as of today.  So, Thanks for all the advise, but I sure wish some of you would "read the threads" you're commenting on.  

It makes me wonder, Did some of you start at the beginning of this thread, the end, or the middle? :-D

thomas
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Offline Trot

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #61 on: January 21, 2011, 05:52:08 pm »
Minus 29 F is just nice weather to go skating.  :-D

On the serious note:  Last winter we had minus 40 C and lower, for about 3 weeks straight.  Man, water pipes that were not 12 feet deep or had too much traffic over them were freezing up and busting!  The lowest temp in those 3 weeks was minus 46 C, which stood for about 3 days, or so.  Minus 46 C is about - what?  54, 56 below F ?  I could be wrong - but not by much...

Bees? 
Never lost one hive. 
Tonight is going down below 40 again.  :(

Offline slacker361

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #62 on: January 21, 2011, 05:54:21 pm »
holy crap...... you guys need to move further south    :-D

Offline Course Bee

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #63 on: January 21, 2011, 05:57:23 pm »
Then who would supply the awesome Northern honey slacker?
Tim

Offline T Beek

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #64 on: January 21, 2011, 05:58:49 pm »
Trot; I don't think its supposed to be a compitition is it? :? the weather , that is ;)

slacker; I wouldn't live anywhere else, we've got some of the cleanest fresh water on the planet.  In fact I've thought of relocating a bit more north :)

thomas
« Last Edit: January 21, 2011, 06:32:47 pm by T Beek »
"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

Offline backyard warrior

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #65 on: January 21, 2011, 06:21:00 pm »
T beek i read the whole thread all i am saying is if it were me i would open them no matter how cold to give them the food if i was concenered about their stores and starvation.  One day can mean a live hive or a dead hive   ;)

Offline BlueBee

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #66 on: January 21, 2011, 06:23:58 pm »
@T Beek and Trot

You guys seriously have to start selling queens.  Any bees that can survive your conditions with minimal intervention are worth their weight in gold! 

T Beek, I read your every word!

Offline T Beek

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #67 on: January 21, 2011, 06:31:46 pm »
@T Beek and Trot

You guys seriously have to start selling queens.  Any bees that can survive your conditions with minimal intervention are worth their weight in gold!  

T Beek, I read your every word!

 8-)LOCAL BEES RULE 8-)  i'm not interested in selling bees, just want to keep them alive and raise my own, that's the goal.

thomas
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Offline Trot

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #68 on: January 21, 2011, 07:33:55 pm »
T Beek,
You got that right.  Without local bees it is next to impossible.  Everybody should strive to raise one's own bees, cause no two locales are the same.  And like people, bees too are diferent.
About the North?  I hear you T Beek...  North has its own charm that can not be had nowhere else.

About selling queens?
I gave up commercial outfit with coming of Varroa and TM.  Since than, I moved a few hives in total wilderness where I had build a summer house with my own two hands, alone, by the lake.  Nothing is in sight for miles and miles.  Have only a few hives to keep me company.  With our winters, bears and constant building - I have my hands full from about April and up to the end of November. 
I hail from old land of Carniola, Slovenia todaj, on sunny side of the Alps.  There is the land of Carniolan bees, Lipizzaner horses and best beekeepers in the world.  Without bees I probably wouldn't last as long as I have and I plan to keep them for a spell yet, thank God of-course...

Offline Acebird

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #69 on: January 21, 2011, 07:40:17 pm »
Quote
very cold out the bees cant break cluster and move any distance to go and get the stores elsewhere inside the hive, with that said giving them fondant on top of the cluster allows them to feed themselves until it warms


How would you get the fondant on top of the cluster from the outside?  There is no way to predict where the cluster is going to go over the winter season so automatically feeding them from the outside is not possible.  I suppose you could strategically place about 6 hypo needles into the hive in different places and then use thermography to locate the cluster to know which feeding tube to use.

I could be totally wrong but my feeling about feeding is it screws up the bees and makes them dependant on you.  If they are left on their own they should be smart enough to survive the winter or die.  Survival of the fittest.  Propagate the smart ones instead of keeping the dumb ones alive.

Brian Cardinal
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Offline skatesailor

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #70 on: January 21, 2011, 07:46:31 pm »
BlueBee :?Actually, artificial heat fools bees into thinking its warmer than it really is, causing them to venture out on days they normally wouldn't, along with many other potential issues.  



thomas
Case in point, I have my hives stored in my cattle trailor with a light canvas cover. Outside temp today was mid 20's and there were a few bees in the snow outside the trailor. Undertakers were also working.

Offline backyard warrior

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #71 on: January 21, 2011, 10:40:05 pm »
Acebird i understand your point of view by all means im with what you are saying survival of the fittest then breeding from your best hives.  Alot of it depends on how much honey the beekeeper took in the fall and how much of a flow they had to build up stores so it doesnt neccesarily mean that the bees are suburb alot has to do with how cheap the beekeeper is with his bees or negligent.

Offline backyard warrior

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #72 on: January 21, 2011, 10:44:41 pm »
what i mean by that is does the beekeeper feed the bees if they need it does he do the right things in fall to have a healthy hive ???

Offline T Beek

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #73 on: January 22, 2011, 07:31:25 am »
Yeah, well I DON"T take "any" honey from August on and I'll feed when neccessary "if" temps will allow me to get inside.

Before closing them up for the winter they all get 10# of dry sugar.

I take majority of "my" honey once danelions have begun blooming in Spring.

 :roll:Bees aren't dumb or stupid, only people can hold that title ;).

Although I'm not interested in selling bees or queens I would like to get a trade network of Northrn Beeks going in order to trade bees and queens, just a pipe dream I've had for some time now.

Trot;  Sounds like your living my dream, man.  When the family and I settled in N/W Wisconsin nearly 30 years ago, it was like what you've got now I suppose, with "no power or water", we built our cabin (slept in a VW bus pop-up w/ wife and two kids for about 7 months), raised our kids, planted gardens, hunted, fished etccc.  Raised a variety of livestock.

Now the kids are gone and its just me and my girl and our critters, but I noticed about 10-12 years ago it began getting crowded, nearby lakes that were empty of any human activity for eons suddunly had several (part time) houses (mansions) on them and once the power company came through and hooked us up after all those years I began thinking "we gotta get outa here."  Now I'm getting to old to move, almost :)

thomas
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Offline backyard warrior

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #74 on: January 22, 2011, 09:11:22 am »
T- Beek i know bjorn has the northern breed queens association and he talks about just what you said about beeks trading queens throughout the north to get good traits and genetic stock from feasible overwintered queens.

Offline T Beek

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #75 on: January 22, 2011, 09:30:12 am »
Yep, I know, and there's one in Wisconsin :). We must be supportive of these kinds of efforts.

thomas
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Offline Finski

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #76 on: January 22, 2011, 11:23:29 am »
.

I do not understand that complex thinking above.
I feed the hives enough in September and next time I
try the hive weight in the middle of Marsh.
If some dies, it dies.

I live 100 miles away and hives are under snow and ice.
I cannot do nothing to them.  but usually all are alive when we meet in Mash.

Wintering needs experience on the area where you are.
Things happen and mistakes teach. End of colony is not end of world.
What ever domestic animals you keep or pets, allways some die.

Of course if you have one hive, it is not odd if you loose 100 of your hives.

.




.
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Offline Acebird

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #77 on: January 22, 2011, 11:26:08 am »
Quote
Bees aren't dumb or stupid, only people can hold that title


Starving to death when there is food just a few inches away doesn't sound to bright in my book.  As a group they can't leave the brood but one at a time they could kind of like the rotation they do to keep the cluster warm.

Who is to say that we are not screwing up their plan or their survival instincts by digging into the hive or feeding when they already have food.

Anybody feed birds?  If you feed birds you better not stop or let the feeder go empty for a day or two because they have become dependant on the feeder.  If you don't feed birds they will fend for themselves but once fed, they are dependant on you.
Brian Cardinal
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Offline T Beek

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #78 on: January 22, 2011, 11:44:22 am »
Acebird; You're speaking and thinking like a human being ;).

Honeybees wouldn't be living in either of our parts of the world, if WE didn't bring them here to begin with. 

Your "preconceived" assumptions and very human approach won't keep bees alive for long, I'm afraid.  Not if you think some of them are stupid just because they don't conform to your way of thinking/behaving. 

Comparing "wild" birds (who have considerably more access to feed) to honeybees that are "forced to live where we put them" is just ridicules.  You're proving my point for me, ya know.

thomas
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Offline Finski

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Re: Attention beeks in the north read this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #79 on: January 22, 2011, 11:55:13 am »
Quote
Bees aren't dumb or stupid, only people can hold that title


Starving to death when there is food just a few inches away doesn't sound to bright in my book. 

Who is to say that we are not screwing up their plan or their survival instincts by digging into the hive or feeding when they already have food.

Anybody feed birds? 

i can say with my 48 years beekeeping experience that bees do not know how much they have food and where it is. They have no plan to survive over winter.

I can say too, that beginners know all because they know so few.

When I started it took from me 7 years that no big surprises arose any more.

Now my problems are due my lazyness. I am not earger anymore to do in time what I should to do.


.
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