Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Finski on April 05, 2010, 04:09:14 am
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When you get package bees, restrict the hive room so that you leave only so much frames what bees can totally occupye. The hive starts to raise brood and tnew bees start to emerge 3 weeks later. Half of old bees will be dead in that moment.
After 4 weeks new bees emerge so much that you may add frames.
4 lbs bees occupye one langstroth box=10 frames. 2 lbs occupye 5 frames and 3 lbs 7 frames.
Why I know that? Package bees are like swarms.
The best result I got with swarms when I put 8 lbs bees in one hive.
The threshold of good build up is that the colony occupye the whole box. So the need is 4 lbs bees.
For smaller amount of bees restrict the room to proper. Don't over ventilate the hive.
(http://bee.freesuperhost.com/yabbfiles/Attachments/tiny.jpg)
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Thanks :) I'm about to install a package and this is helpful. I will just convert it to topbar guidelines...
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What is that wire used for that's run in and out of the bee hive in your pic?
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Man your bees sure have adapted to the cold. So is that a solid divider on the left side? Are the side panels on your bee boxes just 1/4'' thick? the recessed part? Just wondering about the cold. I've got a hive that's barely hanging on and was considering consolidating. There in two deeps with 20 frames most of them still full of honey. Your Thoughts would be welcome
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What is that wire used for that's run in and out of the bee hive in your pic?
Finsky lives in a very cold climate and puts a small bulb in the hives to raise temps to increase brood rearing.
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Wires are 15W terrarium heater cable for spring build up.
This hive brought 80 kg honey.
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Ah a heater so the thin boxes wouldn't matter so much. So what about the left frame solid or what?
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Are the side panels on your bee boxes just 1/4'' thick?
The wall is foamed plastic andvery insulating. The thicknes is 30 mm = 1,25"
There in two deeps with 20 frames most of them still full of honey. Your Thoughts would be welcome
If the hive has too much space and food, it wastes its energy. The hive needs all energy to keep brood area warm over night and rainy days.
The hive need all the time 2 full food frames and the rest are for brood. In good days bees forage pollen and store it just next to brood.
If the brood area is too full, it makes early swarming and swarming is poison to honey yield.
You may give food frames later to the hive, to nucs or to swarms. It depends what you will have.
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Finski Thank you That's a very helpful answer.
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If you have deep frames with honey available, does it make sense to install your package with a couple of honey frames?
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How heat accelerate brood rearing.
If we measure the brood area of 10 cm radius, 10 cm x 10 cm x pii 3,14 = 314 cm2
Then if heat add the radius to 15 cm, the area will be 15 cm x 15 cm x pii 3,14 = 707 cm2
So the brood area in one frame is 2,25 bigger.
But the whole brood area is a ball. Lets look the rise of volume of brood area.
4/3*3,14 * pii3 10x10x10 = 4 200
50% more to radius
4/3*3,14 * pii3 15x15x15 = 14 100
The bigger radius has 3,4 fold volume compared to smaller radius.
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If you have deep frames with honey available, does it make sense to install your package with a couple of honey frames?
Two frames honey is 5 kg food/sugar. If you valuate that all together stores are that size, it is enough for one box colony.
If the colony is 5 frames, one full food frame is enough, all together calculated.