Where did your bees come from?
Hi Annette,Just wanted to say sorry about your bees :(I hope the other hive is doing OK. This is my 1st year and I haven't experienced losing a hive, but I would be soo...bummed if it happened.Gosh, you put so much into them!Sorry, Paul
I'm so sorry, Annette. I remember how I felt looking at my starved-over-the-winter hive with their pitiful little heads all thrust into the cells and a whole box of solid honey above them.We're about to have 17 degree nights for the next three and I have one small cluster hive that may not make it.You have my sympathy - it's hard to lose bees and feel like maybe there was something you could have done differently.Linda T in Atlanta
Quote from: Greg Peck on January 12, 2009, 10:59:01 pmYour analysis sounds right to me. Was the hive small to begin with or was it doing really well then when you checked it now there was a very small cluster? I learned my first year that if you only have enough bees to fill one box then you should overwinter them in one box. If I have a hive that is 2 deeps but for what ever reason there is not a lot of bees I take one of the deeps off and consolidate the stores into the remaining box and shake the bees into it. I am sure that others feel differently about this but it has worked for me here in Pa. I know people say that the bees only heat there cluster not the inside of the hive witch is true, but if heat if coming off the cluster and going into a large space it is wasted. If it is going into a smaller space it has to be conserved a little at least. This would be why bees who set up open hives in trees usually die over winter. This hive appeared to be very strong in October and filled all 3 medium supers. The only thing that was strange about this hive, was they never built up properly. They did not want to take the sugar syrup I gave them. I mean they took it, but not enough to bring the wt up to snuff. That is why I ended up dumping a whole bunch of bakers sugar on the top super.
Your analysis sounds right to me. Was the hive small to begin with or was it doing really well then when you checked it now there was a very small cluster? I learned my first year that if you only have enough bees to fill one box then you should overwinter them in one box. If I have a hive that is 2 deeps but for what ever reason there is not a lot of bees I take one of the deeps off and consolidate the stores into the remaining box and shake the bees into it. I am sure that others feel differently about this but it has worked for me here in Pa. I know people say that the bees only heat there cluster not the inside of the hive witch is true, but if heat if coming off the cluster and going into a large space it is wasted. If it is going into a smaller space it has to be conserved a little at least. This would be why bees who set up open hives in trees usually die over winter.
