Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: tlynn on February 04, 2009, 08:27:00 pm

Title: Florida Freeze!!!
Post by: tlynn on February 04, 2009, 08:27:00 pm
I know we don't get a lot of sympathy here in Florida when it comes to the cold, but wow!  They're predicting upper 20s here tonight potentially for 6 hours plus - record cold.  I think it's looking like low 20s for Rast, just a little to the north of us.  The bad part is the duration of freezing temps.  Likely crop damage across the state.  Get ready for expensive strawberries and orange juice!
Title: Re: Florida Freeze!!!
Post by: rast on February 04, 2009, 08:43:19 pm
 Thats why I also have an account and occasionally trade in commodities. Since the mid 90's.
Title: Re: Florida Freeze!!!
Post by: BjornBee on February 05, 2009, 08:42:52 am
It's about time you guys down in Florida experience some of this "global warming"....
Title: Re: Florida Freeze!!!
Post by: tlynn on February 05, 2009, 09:32:52 pm
Yea, no sympathy indeed!  I have a 3 tier fountain in the front yard and the water was frozen nearly solid this morning.  That's pretty crazy when you consider there's palm trees all around.  We had big blue tarps over the vegetables and they seem to be just fine.  It's harder to tell with citrus until a couple of days later, but mine seem ok.
Title: Re: Florida Freeze!!!
Post by: pdmattox on February 05, 2009, 10:07:10 pm
20 degrees this morning and all my pipes froze even with water flowing. Well you know that pipe that goes to the pressure controller, It is wrapped up now! :fishhit:  I sure hope this is not going to be bad for the citrus.
Title: Re: Florida Freeze!!!
Post by: Kathyp on February 05, 2009, 10:25:46 pm
i don't suppose you have a well house?  just put a space heater in there and run it on low.  wrapping won't do much good if the temps are in the 20's.  make sure your outdoor pipes are drained or you'll be digging them out to fix.

easiest way is to turn off the outside water and open the lowest outside tap.

welcome to our frozen world  :-)

'
Title: Re: Florida Freeze!!!
Post by: pdmattox on February 05, 2009, 10:38:29 pm
Great Idea's Kathy and thanks for them. No well house here,it just sits out in the field. Pretty much where I'm at, it is all flat and impossible/impractical to drain the buried lines. I have thought about the heat tape that you can wrap around the pipe but for one or two nights a year I figured I would just wrap it then cover it. Never had a problem before in all these years but I guess the conditions were just right. Here If you need to get your water pipes below the frost line, you just lay them on the ground. :-D
Title: Re: Florida Freeze!!!
Post by: Beaver Dam on February 06, 2009, 12:56:15 am
Yea, call Al Gore's "Global warming" group and tell them. That guy's and the people following are "A JOKE"
Title: Re: Florida Freeze!!!
Post by: Kathyp on February 06, 2009, 02:00:23 am
can you even find heat tape in florida?  :evil:

Title: Re: Florida Freeze!!!
Post by: rast on February 06, 2009, 09:27:00 pm
 I think/hope we came out OK. "Only" 29 in the grove here. 19 in the "bottoms". Two mornings in a row. Takes 26 or below for appx. 6 hr to kill the mature trees. All the new seedlings here are gone, bark split wide open. You can actually hear the mature trees crack and split when they warm up and thaw. A nightmarish sound back in the 80's.
 Bees that I have in the grove are bringing in beautiful clumps of yellow pollen this afternoon. Maple or willow probably. One hive left to check and change the feeder on in the morning.
 I had to bust ice for the dogs both mornings.
 Yeah, like Tracy, Thanks Bjorn  :).   
 PD, mine is out in a field too. Got the pressure switch pipe wrapped with AC pipe insulation and then throw a tarp over it. Didn't freeze this time.