Let's form the "I Hate Winter Club"

[Pife]

Beekeeping gives me one more reason to hate winter. It is about 17 degrees outside and like last winter, I sit here and think about how the girls are doing. There is no relief in site for the next ten days.

This weekend I bought a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer and if it ever warms I am going to put the thermocouple near the cluster and do a little monitoring this winter. In the end i think it will make me feel better when it is 17 outside and toasty near the cluster.

Good luck to all you others that hate winter. And it is only early December.

Pife

[tommyt]

WHY

[HarryVanderpool]

Sorry to be a nay-sayer, Pife, but I LOVE winter.
Every year at the end of January the move to almonds begins and so does running ones self ragged all the way through until mid October.
As much as I love my job as a beekeeper, I look forward to a few months to work on trucks, trailers, forklifts, tractors, build equipment ....etc...
While I do work full work days, I really enjoy the change of focus for these few months.
I look forward to it all year long while enjoying all of the bee work.
The bees look exceptionally good this year which helps greatly.

[Kingfisher Apiaries]

Fortunately I can work my bees almost every week of the year down here. But I do not do so. It is my and their time off. Get some books, or do a winter job or business like I do.


mike

[alpha6]

Only time the girls and I have to rest is during winter. They were out flying over the weekend...balmy 44 degrees.

[Bee Bliss]

We ice fish during winter and Wisconsin lakes are making ice right now! Around 19 degrees right now. Brrrr! Anyone know if dead bees make good panfish bait??

I think differently about those waxies now that I know!

[MsBlackwolf]

I can probably manage to ice fish AND wonder how my cluster of girls are doing at the same time.

[jldoll]

I worry about my bee also, and I clean there entrance's from the snow every day. But for winter I have a great time trapping and hunting. I gave up deer hunting years ago. But I love to hunt coyotes and fox, and run my small trap line. Now that deer season is over, And if it warms up a little I plan to get some beaver traps out. And if it stay's this cold I will do some ice fishing.
It took me 50 years to figure this out.""
Its not the destination, its the journey.
A cold winter morning is the best time of year for a walk in the forest. Dress with warm cloths. And enjoy.
Soon I will be working on honey bees, humming birds, fruit trees, and a large veg, garden and lots of flowers. I will offer 40 compartments for purple martins in 2011. In 2010 I fledged 33 baby's. I am working on a new martin house.
I will not remember the times I spent sitting on the couch. But that coyote I busted at 125 yards or the one the one that sneaked up on me to 10 yards. And the red tailed hawk that atacked my decoy. These things I will remember forever.
Good luck to all Jerry

[slickbrightspear]

I joined this club a long time ago.

[waynesgarden]

I love Winter. But then I only live in Maine, having moved here from the Adirondack Mountains. Now if I lived in a place that gets really cold, I might learn to hate winter too.

Oh, sorry, have to run,. There's a mountain of books that need reading.

Wayne

[mac]

I hate winter and I live in Fl.

[zookeeper]

I nominate myself for president! From October til April all I do is complain about the cold....my husband calls it "Whining Season."

[Blackwater Bee]

I like Winters because I can breathe easier with the cold dry air, my only dislike is the winter losses in my apiary, there was only one year where I had a 100% survivor rate ( 2006 ). I don't want to get into the specifics of last winter, but I certainly will HATE winter if I experience a repeat of last year's losses.

[ChristopherA]

If you are worried about the girls and want to check them, if you have screen bottom board like myself. Get a dental mirror and flash light and take a peep from under the board and see what the gals are doing. Mine are clustering fine right now. You could use a bigger mirrir if you wish however for myself I cant get the mirror thru the slats on my stand, so I have to use a smaller mirror.

[rrussell6870]

I want to at least be considered for vp! I am just not comfortable at any temp less than 80! Makes my wings shiver!

[Kingfisher Apiaries]

OK OK I kinda hate winter. I will be parliamentarian or program director.
mike

[BeeTeach]

I'm in!!!

[The Honey Householder]

WHAT IS THE FEES???

Just getting started clean up for the new season. Only 850 hives to get clean up and sprayed full of feed.

[hemichuck]

Sign me up! I hate going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark.When its warm I will work in the yard from sun up to sundown and love every minute of it.I heat with wood so winter to me is just a long series of being uncomfortably cold and my back hurting from tossing logs and a couch full of big old dogs that dont like the cold any more than me.

[Bee Bliss]

Well.............there was that one time I spent the whole day ice fishing on Shawano lake only to get home and within 10 minutes broke my ankle slipping on ice in the driveway on the way to get the mail!


6 screws and 2 plates.... s