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Offline nypam

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are we doing ok
« on: September 04, 2012, 06:18:31 pm »
We are 1st  year beeks. We started with a nuc 1st wk of june. We added the 2nd deep beginning of july. We checked the 2nd deep on fri. We have capped brood and honey on all the frames except 1st
two in deep and last frame. We did a powder shake for varreoa with a cup of bees and only counted 8. I'm thinking with the crazy weather everyone has had, this is not too bad. I''m also thinking at this point in the year,we're not going to need to add a honey super and what honey that's there will be needed for the bees :(....we did cut off a small piece of comb above the frame to at least taste.

Am i on the right track? We're in upstate ny near vt border.  Any suggestions/comments appreciated

Offline AllenF

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Re: are we doing ok
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2012, 10:56:34 pm »
You are doing ok.    Let the bees keep the honey.  You rarely get honey from a first year hive.   

Offline Parksguyy

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Re: are we doing ok
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2012, 08:57:52 am »
Sounds good from this first year beek as well ... we got our nucs late June and two of the hives are pretty much the same as yours.  Our other two hives are alittle bit behind and haven't drawn out as many frames in the second brood chambers ... alittle concerned about them but hopefully it will come together with alot of feeding starting this weekend.  As the other beek said, its rare to get any surplus honey the first year especially with new equipment/undrawn frames.  Good luck over the winter!
Kerry   

Offline dfizer

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Re: are we doing ok
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2012, 10:27:58 pm »
I too am in upstate ny (Saratoga) and have been trying for 3years to get bees to winter over and have been unsuccessful so far.  My mission is to have at least one of my 3 hives (min) to make it through the winter....  I suffered a slight setback this week as some of the bees from my strongest hive swarmed off.  I will be inspecting the hives tomorrow to see exactly what the damage really is. 
My question is what suggestions do the seasoned beekeepers have to help add to the probability of the hives surviving the northeast winter?
I plan to feed starting next week but don't know what ratio of sugar to water to use... Please advise.
Also, I will be placing a white board under the sbb to see what's falling off the bees - any suggestions for what to look for or what the process is for that test?
Good luck with ur bees and I hope they make it through the winter!
David 

Offline Joe D

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Re: are we doing ok
« Reply #4 on: September 06, 2012, 02:09:37 am »
Sounds like you all are doing pretty good so far.  I didn't start with nucs or packages, I bought 3 established hives from an estate.  Wood ware was in bad shape, got them in Dec. of 11.  In the spring they started swarming, I caught the swarms and now I have 6 hives.  One of the things that may make it easier to over winter here is the weather.  Compared to up north we don't have bad cold temps.  We may have a few days that get real cold 10 to 20 degrees but usually not or not often.  Good luck with your bees.



Joe

Offline yelnifok

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Re: are we doing ok
« Reply #5 on: September 06, 2012, 04:47:07 am »
Hi all, nypam- it sounds like you are doing fine, good luck. dfizer- mix should be 2 sugar/ 1 water either by weight or volume. Overwintering bees in cold climates is a problem- you need to wrap your colonies with 15# black roofing felt paper and allow for an upper entrance( in case snow blocks the normal lower entrance). You also need a good wind block, especially on the west and north of the hive location. If you are using sbb, I like to reduce the open area of the sbb by @75% and add a double screened inner cover to the top onto which I place another box which I fill with shredded newspaper and then the telescopeing cover. This setup allows for good ventilation and gives the condensation a place to evaporate but still provides some insulation.lee...

Offline nypam

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Re: are we doing ok
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2012, 12:34:03 pm »
Thanks for your reply. I am concerned that my bees won't overwinter. Do you know can you put hay bales around the hive for insulation or does it cause too much moisture?
thanks again
Pam

Offline T Beek

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Re: are we doing ok
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2012, 01:15:18 pm »
Around the middle of November I pile loose hay all around my hives.  As the snow accumulates I'll shovel that right over the top.  I use top entrances exclusively during the winter, closing off the bottoms.

The late swarm someone mentioned above is troublesome to me, chances are slim (IMO) that the virgin queen will mate, return and begin laying some eggs in time before cold sets in.  

You may want to consider a combine.

Frame manipulations are frequently required as we approach winter.  Honey supers should be removed to encourage bees to fill up any open cells throughout, regardless of the super size and the number of boxes left on before winter wrap up.  

Brood frames should be pushed down and toward the middle.  Honey frames should be pulled up forming a full block of honey above the broodnest.  In most cases they do it for you.  The main thing to remember is to eliminate 'empty' space when manipulating frames for winter.

t
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Offline nypam

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Re: are we doing ok
« Reply #8 on: September 07, 2012, 03:17:02 pm »
Thanks for your reply,so do you recommend not keeping hay in bale form for a reason? I only have a bottom entrance so well have to make some changes. I have 1 hive with 2 deeps 10 frame. The bees seem perfect to me right now (in my unexperienced mind). It seems to be a happy little hive. The 2nd deep has nice brood pattern and capped honey in a neat semi circles above the brood. There are 3 frames not drawn out. I'm thinking & crossing fingers we're set for approaching cold weather.

Offline T Beek

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Re: are we doing ok
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2012, 04:37:31 pm »
No problem; use whatever you have available.  I use loose hay because that's what's here, but I've used bales too (leaves, cardboard covered in poly etc...).  

When using bottom entrances 'exclusivly' you'll have to make certain snow isn't covering their exit throughout winter.  Top entrances make a perfect ventilation system IMO and your bees will generally have a way out w/out digging through snow when weather permits.  I just cut out a 1 1/2 -2 " notch out of the inner cover, notched side down.  Now don't get me started on top entrances  :-D  There's lots of discussions on the subject in these pages.

Depending on where the empty frames are located, you could place them between existing brood frames which s/b on the bottom, to encourage brood rearing or, a better choice this late is to place them up top and hope your bees fill them up w/ goldenrod honey before cold sets in.

t
« Last Edit: September 07, 2012, 04:47:51 pm by T Beek »
"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

Offline nypam

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Re: are we doing ok
« Reply #10 on: September 09, 2012, 11:02:25 pm »
Thank you for your suggestions.

 

anything