Too cold to work Bees

General Discussion of Diary Posts and Questions on Beekeeping Matters
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Colino
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Too cold to work Bees

Unread post by Colino »

In the diary this a.m. you mentioned that 7c is okay for working bees without a wind, do you mean just lifting lids and placing patties or more aggressive manipulations? How about if there is a wind because here when the wind does quit, on that day we play baseball? I am always leery about chilling my brood etc.
Colino
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Allen Dick
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

Unread post by Allen Dick »

I understand. In Lethbridge, I hear that when the wind quits (seldom) people fall over.

At any temperature that I can stand for an hour or more with bare hands, I'd centre clusters that have moved to one side and away from food and move honey beside the cluster -- as long as there is no wind.

The bees tell me what they can stand and what they cannot. I watch and if the bees are able to walk around and even fly a bit, I don't worry.

Of course, I don't do prolonged inspections, but may glance to see if there is any brood.

In the pictures of Aaron's hives, the temperatures never got above freezing. He did some quick and careful manipulations, though, to save colonies which were running light on feed, in most cases by moving frames of honey closer or centring, and in one case of a very strong hive that was light, placing a brood chamber of honey from a deadout on top. That latter operation is risky for anyone except an expert.
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Colino
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

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Allen Dick wrote:I understand. In Lethbridge, I hear that when the wind quits (seldom) people fall over.
Yes and we are East of them so by the time the wind gets here it's even stronger. Had a chicken lay the same egg twice it was so windy. I think I will keep out until it's a bit warmer and just lift lids to give them patties and sugar. Although Friday they're calling for 18C and 15km winds so I may go deeper, I'll play it by ear. Thanks.
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

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You can rig a shelter from the wind. Some beekeepers have to do that.
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Colino
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

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Allen Dick wrote:You can rig a shelter from the wind. Some beekeepers have to do that.
I am in the process of doing just that, I scavenged some old picket fence that I am reworking it should be enough for across the west side with short wings out North and South. I'm just waiting for the ground to thaw so I can drive posts. Now the forecast is for 19C on Friday.
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karen
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

Unread post by karen »

It was 40 F here with no wind. I checked the hives outside my back door today and all were doing good. I have not been able to check the weight because they have been under snow, finally the snow has melted enough to lift them. I will start putting on pollen patties Friday. Tomorrow I get to do postmortems on other peoples hives. I plan to wash some bees for mites and bring a microscope just because I can. Of course I will check the stores and clusters where abouts. I hope I have an AH-HA moment where I can guesstimate why the died.
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

Unread post by Allen Dick »

I went over and looked at some of my bee hives today. so far it looks as if most of them are alive, and the dead ones are hives that I did not think would live anyhow. I have not done anything at all with them since September that I can recall except plug some holes in the back sides.

As for working hides in cool weather I suppose that I should add that strong hives can be worked in weather when weaker hives should not be touched.

If a colony fully occupies a box and is spilling out, no matter what the weather, I don't worry, but small clusters I save for warm days. If the hive is starving, though, I'll do what is necessary regardless..

Opening hives and manipulating frames in cool weather is like open heart surgery.

We should not do it unless necessary.
We should have a plan in advance.
We should have everything at hand and a smoker lit.
We should work efficiently and close as soon as we are done.
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Vance G
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

Unread post by Vance G »

It is supposed to be in the seventies here and I hope to do some good with the bees. I read your diary addition from 2001 with interest. Was Harry Pirker the gentleman who wrote an article for the ABJ in the early eighties about raising package bees in Alberta? I was intrigued by that and I see a couple of his style wintering houses (if it is him) that have sat unused for thirty years, so I assume it didn't work here.

The moisture commentary has got me really thinking. My efforts are aimed at eliminating moisture and me thinks I go too far! I have had good wintering results if not great having a layer of dry sugar on the top bars and a cover over that of soundboard that absorbs a lot of moisture. I have a two inch Styrofoam piece of insulation above the sound board and I seal the R 3.7 wrap to that with duct tape making a real air tight bubble at the top of the hive. My winter entrance is a 1" hole bored right below the handhold on the upper brood box. I aped this system from you after reading your old diary entries. One thing that puzzles me is that about ten percent of the colonies when I first check them in mid February, I find the soundboard sopping wet. Others wrapped just as tight are not perceptibly moist.

Another shaft of doubt you poked me with was the comment that the bees go to the heat and abandon the combs! When I open up to check in mid Feb and add patties, I often find pounds of bees hanging from that sound board cover. Now the top bars will have several seams of bees to sometimes wall to wall. I assume that doesn't reflect a problem. But it does make me wonder about the weaker colonies. Good food for thought. I have become such a believer in Mountain Camp feeding and my 2 1/2 inch rims full of sugar that it is hard to question.

I have lost 8 of 33 colonies this winter. Only one was starvation and with ten pounds of sugar above, they had to work at it! These bees had used all the honey in the upper brood box and never chewed thru a sheet of newspaper to access the MC sugar. Then, during one of our prolonged Chinooks, they apparently moved down onto stored in the bottom brood box and starved there during a return to winter!

My other losses were from mites and queen failures. Mostly mites. I freely admit shooting off those toes by experimenting with mite resistant stock, and brood breaks and wishful thinking. BTW the surviving treatment free colonies are all wearing Apivar now! I have officially decided to put away childish pursuits and raise some bees and produce some honey. The EARF doesn't need saved nor do the bees thank you. I just had to amuse myself I guess. The half my bees I treated with Apiguard last fall all wintered and on average wintered twice as strong as the untreated colonies!

Pollen is starting to be more than a rarity here now and some of my colonies are probably finishing off their fifth Global patty. I don't think it is going to warm enough for a bit to be boosting weaker colonies with brood frames. I am going to take my had truck and swap some locations.
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Colino
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

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Colino wrote:
Allen Dick wrote:You can rig a shelter from the wind. Some beekeepers have to do that.
I am in the process of doing just that, I scavenged some old picket fence that I am reworking it should be enough for across the west side with short wings out North and South. I'm just waiting for the ground to thaw so I can drive posts. Now the forecast is for 19C on Friday.
My new bee yard, everything you see is made with re-purposed material.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z57u6cr3y3rg0 ... 4.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/k2fnbzvy0uk9q ... 5.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3tipnrfd7v0qw ... 6.jpg?dl=0
In image 196 if you look across the railway tracks, my neighbor says he is putting all you can see there in Mustard. But I'm not sure how good of a nectar source that will be.
Colino
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Vance G
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

Unread post by Vance G »

When canola was rape and mustard was mustard, the bees performed similarly for me in North Dakota when they were blooming.
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Colino
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

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Vance G wrote:When canola was rape and mustard was mustard, the bees performed similarly for me in North Dakota when they were blooming.
Thanks Vance, if it is as good as the Canola last year I should have a good year. :D
Narcissism is easy because it's me or I, Empathy is hard because it's they or them.-Colino
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Vance G
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

Unread post by Vance G »

Colino did your shingles stay on and your bees stay upright in your spring breeze yesterday? No wind here this morning but 28F.
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Re: Too cold to work Bees

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Vance G wrote:Colino did your shingles stay on and your bees stay upright in your spring breeze yesterday? No wind here this morning but 28F.
Good Morning Vance:
We didn't lose any shingles but I had a screen door blown off my shop and there is debris all over the yard. I tied my hives down and added more bricks so they are okay. A bunch of lids and inner covers blew off my spare boxes and are laying around my new bee yard. She's warmed up here to 32F and there is a light dusting of snow.
Colino
Narcissism is easy because it's me or I, Empathy is hard because it's they or them.-Colino
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