Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Better.to.Bee.than.not on July 24, 2013, 11:58:19 am

Title: A clear and apparent difference
Post by: Better.to.Bee.than.not on July 24, 2013, 11:58:19 am
Earlier this year, may, I bought a italian bee package and hived it, it has been doing fine, however, I go out this morning, and check out the hive and extremely low activity, no one out on the deck sunning themselves, of course not fanning the hive/etc. they are still in there, but last night we got down to 55 F, and so they haven't heated up yet.
  The thing is, all my last year italian survivors, my carniolans,  and ferals, are all perfectly fine and out and about. It is now 68 outside, but the point of it all is it is hard not to argue these southern boys just don;t have the coolness in their blood yet evidently or tolerance. maybe they think its winter already, or are waiting until it gets to 75+ or something. (which will surely be quickly.) all I have is the one new hive of italians that came from down south, so does anyone else have some new flock from down south that is doing the same if it got cold last night?
  I am glad it did get cold though honestly, they need a good conditioning before winter, though this isn;t it or the time really, it will hopefully help em out a bit.
Title: Re: A clear and apparent difference
Post by: Michael Bush on July 24, 2013, 01:01:49 pm
I've seen the local ferals flying on a calm sunny day in the 20s F.  I've seen the Italians sitting home on a calm sunny day in the upper 50s...
Title: Re: A clear and apparent difference
Post by: sterling on July 25, 2013, 11:28:39 am
Some of that may depend on how much brood the Italians have that need to be kept warm and how many bees they need for the job.
Title: Re: A clear and apparent difference
Post by: 10framer on July 25, 2013, 12:55:21 pm
we're happy to see lows of 80 this time of year, our bees probably think the same way.  survivors survive for a reason.
my mutts out worked my italians this year.  i think the italians are less likely to fly in the rain or cooler temperatures.  in a normal year i would expect the italians to have been the big performers. 

Title: Re: A clear and apparent difference
Post by: Finski on July 25, 2013, 02:19:07 pm
When weather is bad, it does not help if they fly out for nothing.
They only risk their lives there.

Often bees must come out in bad weather that they get drinking water to make feeding juice to larvae.

there are cases too, that bees do not get hioney outside because it is dry. It seems that they do not fly at all. They are out there but they do not get load.

This happens here at the late half of August. Hives search for food and 2/3 of bees die in 2 weeks.
6 box hives will be reduced to one box. It really happens quickly.  I suppose that they make long trips and they have not food to return.