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Mid Winter Hive Check

7K views 24 replies 12 participants last post by  Eich 
#1 ·
I went out to check my bees today - we have had single digit temperature and have 5 inches of snow on the ground now for the last three days. When I press my ear against the hive there was a solid buzzing from inside the upper box. In the last two weeks the hive has lost about 5-7 lbs. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that next week will bring a warm day or two that will melt the snow and allow for a clensing flight or two.

Martin
Bowling Green, KY
 
#3 ·
This is my first winter with my bees. I checked them two weeks ago and noticed about a handful of dead bees on the screened bottom board. I didn't open the hive nor did I listen for a "buzz"; I hope to hear them tomorrow. It has been very cold here in Huntington WV these past days. I'll keep my fingers crossed; it's supposed to warm to @50 this week. Hope I did things right!

Sean
 
#4 ·
Hi,

I checked my bees today and it was a sad sight: all dead. It has been extremely cold for the past 10 days or so. There where some stores unused (20-30lbs of honey I guess, and a bunch of pollen in the bottom box - I had only 2 large boxes). I was surprised to see quite few bees in the hive, only a couple of thousand at the most. Many of them where dead inside cells buts pointing out, and some where dead heads pointing out. SO the queen had been laying some eggs.
There where some Varroa on the bottom board but not large quantities. So, I have a few questions for those experienced. This was the only hive (good thing I did not start with many, I guess) I had and this is my first winter:
1) How does one save the frames with pollen and honey in them for the speing when I get new bees? I am concerned about the buildup of fungus all over (I sow some cells fungied up)
2) Some of the cells where filled with uncapped honey and some with nectar. I shook down some of the nectar but I am thinking of spinning the frames to get rid of most of it before storing them. DO i need to?
3) When I get new bee packages in April, I was thinking on starting them right away on 4.9mm foundation. Should I use those frames with pollen and honey (and melt the other ones)? Perhaps just the ones with pollen and feed them nectar to start, and replace those frames with 4.9 ones as they get used up?
Thanks for any suggestions.

jorge
 
#5 ·
Part of the dilemma of what to do is tied to not knowing what killed the bees. My guess is mites. Varroa and Tracheal would be my first guess. If it's mites, then the mites are all dead too. There is the possibility of other things, and if it’s something that the next batch of bees will catch.

Assuming we have decided it’s mites, then I would go ahead and extract all the honey. The combs that are full of dead bees are probably not worth messing with but you can melt them down and strain out the dead bees. I’ve tried pulling them out when they are like that and it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

If you have fully drawn clean comb (meaning it’s not full of dead bees in the cells) and you weren’t going to go to 4.9mm I’d use it in the brood chamber so the queen would have somewhere to lay right away.

Since you want to regress anyway, I’d just use the 4.9mm foundation for your package and render the rest of it as honey and wax.
 
#6 ·
Jorge Sorry about your hive It sounds like they starved to death becaused maybe the cold forced them to stay on that frame or the queen started laying too early and had too big a brood nest.Or it could be mites.You can store the frames then start your bees on small cells then let them rob the honey from the big cell frames.
 
#7 ·
Hi Michael & Franc,

Thanks for the tips. I am still not decided if I should render the comb and start from scratch, or reuse the comb to help a new hive get started. If I were to do this, what is the best way to keep the frames that have pollen and honey in them and prevent mold from destroying them?

Thanks again,

Jorge
 
#9 ·
just brush off the dead bees that you can with a soft bristled bee brush and store the comb with capped honey and pollen in a cool dry place. Then use it in the spring. The new bees will clean out most of the dead bees that have their heads stuck in the comb. The honey and pollen will be just fine until you put in a package, and will help the new package get started. Cleanup is something bees are much better at than you or I, so let them get the dead bees out of the comb. If you try you will destroy the comb, if you let them everything will turn out beautiful.
 
#10 ·
Thanks beeman!
Michael, couldn't the following bee done. When starting the package, place 6 frames with 4.9 cfoundtion at the center and flank them with large size comb containing the pollen and honey. I assume the bees will use up the pollen & honey from these 4 frames quickly. Then replace those with 4.9 mm foundation. Will the bees get confused. My thinking is that, since the bees tend to build small size cells mostly at the center of the nest, the periphery does not matter as much anyway. Am I make to much of a deal of a couple of frames worth of pollen? I would tend to think that the bees would benefit.

Just a thought.

Jorge
 
#11 ·
Hi Jorge,

Michael, couldn't the following bee done. When starting the package, place 6 frames with 4.9 cfoundtion at the center and flank them with large size comb containing the pollen and honey. I assume the bees will use up the pollen & honey from these 4 frames quickly. Then replace those with 4.9 mm foundation. Will the bees get confused. My thinking is that, since the bees tend to build small size cells mostly at the center of the nest, the periphery does not matter as much anyway. Am I make to much of a deal of a couple of frames worth of pollen? I would tend to think that the bees would benefit.

reply:

You could do this. I have seen some (not all) colonies take to the frames on the sides and clean up and start work there (Brooding). I discontinued this quickly. Wouldn't it be easier to just give the bees a division board of feed or other feeding method and get the frames ready with 4.9 and ready to roll? Even without those frames the bees will collect pollen quickly. I'd make a clean break, actually I did. Don't forget the queen includer when shaking bees down, trust me I have learned the hard way.

Clay
 
#12 ·
Bees will do what they want, of course and we are trying to predict.

I agree with everyone really. If you want to regress, I agree with Clay. Just make a clean break and do it. They will be fine and life will be simple. If you really want to use the frames, you can try, but the queen is going to start laying in any empty cell she can find and that will include the ones you gave them which are large cells. You already have a shakdown with a package. Why not use it to your advantage?

If you weren't regressing, I agree the bees will clean it up and use it, so why not give it back to them. But you are regressing.
 
#14 ·
>you say not to forget the queen includer. Since I lost my only hive and will start again from packages (and I guess as recommended with new 4.9mm foundation all over), why do I need an includer?


Clay was refering to shake downs. When you shake down a hive, you take away all of their comb and they sometimes try to abscond (run away from home). If you put a queen excluder on the bottom then the queen can't leave and they can't abscond (at least not with the queen). If you're starting from a package it probably won't matter. I have had a package abscond once. I think it moved into the hive next to it, though.
 
#15 ·
Clay,
you say not to forget the queen includer. Since I lost my only hive and will start again from packages (and I guess as recommended with new 4.9mm foundation all over), why do I need an includer?

reply:

Yes I was talking about shaken hives here. But On occasion packages can abscond too(rate seems to incresae while placed on small cell foundation). So why take a chance? Put the includer under if the bees get to business and the queen starts a laying pull it out. Better than bees in the trees!

Clay
 
#16 ·
Checked hives here today in S.E. Wisconsin. Temps in low 30s. 6 of 7 hives looked great with lots of bees visible. 7th hive was a cause of concern when I wrapped them in fall. No bees were seen but I have some rock candy sitting under inner cover so there is still hope they are there. hoping now for an early spring. A lot can change between now and the arrival of warm weather.
 
#18 ·
Temps have been steadily climbing up from the single digits here and by Sunday, it's supposed to be in the low 60's. Going to check the hives in detail, maybe even put in Aphistan strips as well. By mid week it will be back down to the 30's & 40's. We'll see what happens. Atleast the girls will have a day or so to get out and fly.

Martin
Bowling Green, KY
 
#22 ·
hello,everyone. Temp, reached the 60's today here in ala,so I feed & rev, my bees today,the past few weeks it has been as low as 3degrees,they all seemed normal for this time of year.except one hive & that is where I need some help.they are in a brood box & 1 super,& both boxs are busting over with bees,just like it's spring & ready to swarm.should I leave them alone or what ? It's 2 month's till there is much of anything for them to work.If they are crowded will they swarm this time of year? please help, thank's Mark
 
#24 ·
Yesterday the temp hit 65 here in central Kentucky - clear skys and little or no wind. Bee's were flying everwhere! Several of us took the opportunity after church to get together and open up our hives have a look see. Everything looked great with the exception of one hive where the bees had emptied the left side of the hive (bottom & top) and were now centered on the right side of the hive. Our guess is that the hive recieves more sun on the empty side and that may have influenced the pattern of honey depletion.

Unfortunately the temps will be back down to the upper twenties and mid thirties by Wednesday and the over night lows will be back down into the teens. It looks like Spring is just around the corner - it's going to be a long six weeks!
 
#25 ·
Living in southern USA does have it's perks. We're still in the tundra in N. Iowa It'll be another month yet, if then before we dare open any hives. The bees are very quiet up here. Sometime towards the middle to end of March we'll start hearing them. Until them we hope we have given them a heavy enough blanket and lots of honey. I've ordered 6 nucs and can't get them until 1st of May. Kind of anxious to see how all the new SSB and other things I've made for the new hives. Darrell
 
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