Can you root for Olly? Absolutely!
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Can you root for Olly? Absolutely!
I just find your interactions hilarious, which I'm sure is why you pursue them.
Just to be difficult, 4 hives, 2 nucs and trying to get 2 nucs QR for the winter (emerge Sept 1). So I could be 4, 6 or 8! how do you count? Treatment? not this season, yet, low counts.
Seriously 4 to count.
Im in!
Just combined a nuc with a weaker hive so in my country yard I have 6 hives, two singles and 4 doubles. In town I have 2 doubles. I was going to make some nucs up but have decided not to.
So I have a total of 8 hives going into fall/winter and I am taking them in treatment free.
And I am also very happy right now that I get to stop feeding for a while as well as the tar weed is in full bloom and everywhere this year!! They have stopped sucking down the sugar syrup which is also a clear indication of a flow.
I will be going into winter with 14 hives all were wintered over or splits from my hives. I am completely treatment free.
Please get all your combines and splits done by October 1st. Olly has no mercy. A nuc is technically a colony to him so they will count as a hive. :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by minz
Charlie B, somehow I was thinking that you were only counting swarms:lookout :, so I will need to add 3 more hives, my total number of hives going into winter will be 6. :thumbsup:
I have no doubt that all yours will make it Bill!Quote:
Originally Posted by WWW
Charlie, I hope to live up to your confidence in me, your a peach. :D
If you are a fool, sure...Quote:
Originally Posted by JRG13
I am the first to admit my losses and brag about my baithive catches....Losses:
2011-2012 - 80%
2010-2011 - 50%
2009-2010 - 80%
Lost 10 out of ten at one site in 2010-2011 all on small cell.
I am in.
8 hives. No treatments in any of them ever, 1-3 years old hives.
PS we get a real winter here (OK not a North Dakota real winter but colder than most)
4 hives, 2 nucs going in. Here come our 9 months of rain...
Why is everybody getting in a month early? Charlies rules are the rules.
"The winter time frame for the purposes of this challenge is October 1, 2012 to March 1, 2013."
I will count my hives at the end of September and not include the dozen that die before then.
Where can I order 50 queens for mid September delivery?
I'm in but I'll wait until October 1 to post my hive count. :)
With an average minimum temperature of 42.90 degrees Fahrenheit, is it really that much of a challenge to overwinter bees in San Mateo, California?
Hey, how about some sort of handicap system, based on the average number of days below a set temperature, like 32 deg F.? No way am I going to be able to compete with someone from Florida or Cali. when my bees are in Wisconsin.
Crazy Roland
>No way am I going to be able to compete with someone from Florida or Cali. when my bees are in Wisconsin.
>is it really that much of a challenge to overwinter bees in San Mateo, California?
Cold has little or nothing to do with my winter losses, although a brood break during a real winter might help. My bees have been collapsing due to some mystery "CCD" type problem. They can fly and collect pollen almost 365 days a year. But they probably have mites and DVW all year long, lots of queens that disappear/fail prematurely, as winter progresses many lose population, and die en mass in the few cold rainy days we have. Next to them are strong hives that winter just fine. Going into winter with a brand new queen seems to often guarantee survival. I have kept bees over 42 years and this problem began in 2006.
Sounds like excuses to me ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Roland
I'm in, but I'm waiting on Oct. 1st for the colony count :D
To be more fare with the guys/gals in colder climates we could count a nuc that survives as a hive/ a nuc that dies as 1/2 a hive. That is if they feel they need a handicap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie B
The bad thing about bee keeping, is when you make mistakes that cost you hives...
Like:
- moving hives a short distance in late fall and loosing a LOT of foragers, weakening the hive and ultimately loosing it:(
-Having queens from warmer climates of unknown genetics and unknown age head the hives going into the winter.
-not monitoring for mites regularly, especially in fall.
-not realizing there is a darth in late summer and allowing the queens to shut down, just when you need those upcoming young bees to overwinter.
(I could go on, but I bet you get it by now)
The good thing about bee keeping is that once you get over the loss and your stupid mistakes, you look forward to the next season so you can apply what you've learned. So sure you've got it this time!
So yes, I am in for OdFranks challenge. Mites have been almost non excitant all summer-(we'll see if they stay that way once all the capped brood is open) Hives are well fed and heavy-or will be by October-Yellow jackets have been outsmarted, etc. Almost every queen is home raised from superior stock and locally mated in mid summer.
I will have about 85 hives and nucs after combining a few more smaller mating nucs. As a second year beekeeper, that is already a challenge! We'll wait for the final count when I get back from Montana after I show the boys how to bring home dinner with a little stick:)
Not sure how I am going to winterize the box's yet other than clustering them together somewhat on the benches. I'll update if I get any bright ideas.
I have a long inactive period and wet rainy winters here..They won't become activly laying again until mid- April.
Western Washington State, near the Canadian border.
The young queens are laying like crazy..I am already in much better shape this year. In fact some hives have two queens...Hee hee, is that cheating?
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