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Are you ready for the Odfrank overwintering challenge?

123K views 416 replies 68 participants last post by  BayHighlandBees 
#1 ·
We've had to listen to Jolly Ollie brag all year about all the swarms he's caught so let's see how well he does at keeping them alive all winter.

We'll go by number of hives lost beginning October 1, 2012 thru March 1, 2013. Check in with the number of hives you have as of October 1st. if you want to participate so get done with all your combines and such before then.

Ollie may be old, bald and cheap but he's as honest as they come so we'll go by the honor system like we did the swarm challenge. Last I heard, Ollie had 60 hives. Is that right Ollie?
 
#297 ·
Just checked my hives after work and they are rockin! One single deep is 8 frames of bees, need to throw a deep on it. The other two singles are about 5 frames each. My three double deeps are pumping as well. I'm going to graft some queens probably in a week and see what happens!
 
#300 ·
I am 0 losses for 4 colonies so far. They where foraging yesterday and bringing in pollen. So my question now is. how do you determine when they have survived the last season and the new season has officially started.
 
#304 ·
California sucks all the warmth and moisture from the air before they send it over the Sierras to us. We live with that cold mountain air pouring down on us year round. it is nice in July. February not so much. Palm trees grow in Sacramento. Two hours away where I am. you can't get cactus to grow without watering them. They grow the worlds almonds there and just over the hill is Death Valley. not far in distance but a completely different world. and it is all due to the mountains that are between here and there. I vote we level them.
 
#306 · (Edited)
As stated in my original post,

"We'll go by number of hives lost beginning October 1, 2012 thru March 1, 2013". Everyone should report in on March 1st. on number of hives lost in this time frame including nucs and then calculate your percentage of hives lost.
 
#307 ·
As stated in my original post, "We'll go by number of hives lost beginning October 1, 2012 thru March 1, 2013". Everyone should report in on March 1st. on number of hives lost in this time frame including nucs.
Charlie, have you considered that some members of BeeSource don't live in California and their hives might still be deep in snow? Getting a little feeble in the waning years? Has all that in coming eucalyptus honey clogged your mind? Getting lightheaded lifting all those eight frame mediums? Hate to see me win another of your silly challenges and exclude most of the country from having a chance to out do me?
 
#311 ·
I am not officially registered in the overwintering challenge, but I have been following this thread. Last year I lost both my hives, one to starvation.

This year, knock on wood, they are both still alive. I have paths shoveled out to them through two feet of snow. Yesterday was mild (44), so I went in to give them another fondant patty (I had given them one during a January thaw, too). I also added some pollen patty Both hives are two deeps plus a super which had capped honey in the fall. In January both hives' supers were empty of honey, but I could see down below in the top deep that there was still some left. Yesterday, one of my hives had clear honey in several of the super frames. I am wondering whether they are making honey out of the fondant patty I gave them. I am just so afraid of them starving - we are at least a month or more away from pussy willows and maples.
Maple sugar season begins around George Washington's birthday (Feb.22) and that marks the beginning of the beginning of spring.
 
#312 ·
They didn't over winter until they are out foraging well into spring. I will have fist size clusters on 3/1 that will die after that. If you want everybody to be able to participate honestly (Like Honest Ollie) you have to extend the ending date to what, 6/1?
 
#314 ·
You have to draw the line somewhere and I think that March 1st is a pretty fair date to go by. If you wanted to be "FAIR" you'd have to have separate challenges for each of the zones or subzones and different dates for each, but since this is nationwide you gotta draw a line somewhere. Besides all of us know if we lose a hive after march 1st to say may1st it may have had something to do with overwintering. Not like there is a monster prize involved. LOL
 
#316 ·
Charlie, as you are the judge (and OD is the mascot) Have you decided how long you will give the participants to self report their totals. Two weeks? A month? I thought I read somewhere the prize was one of OD's saplings shipped free to a destination of the winners choice or a pound of his honey if you happen to live in a cold climate....
 
#317 ·
Adrian,

I think by March 10th is ample time and you're right, Olly should donate a BeeBee Tree sapling to the winner AND a pound of honey. (However, I've seen pictures of his honey house, I would just go with the sapling).
 
#320 ·
Started with 18 colonies split between 2 yards. One yard still good with 4 nucs, 2 hives. In the 2nd yard, the wind blew so hard during the recent blizzard, it bent the snow fence stakes I was using backwards and blew the wind break into the hives. It moved the telescoping covers plus inner covers off 3 of the hives, exposing the cluster. Wet bees in winter means dead bees in the spring. Count me down 3 of 18. Even had about 8 pounds of rock on each cover...Remaining 3 nucs and 6 hives out there doing well.
 
#322 ·
I thought I would chime in. Started off with 4 hives last year. Split to 12. Lost three going into winter (bad queens) and one absconded :scratch: and three prior to NE Blizzard, starvation (I didn't get to em quick enough to supplement, Grrrrr :( ) So mad at myself! :doh:

Just went out today, cloudy and in the 40's. I still have 6. Four are taking Mountain Camp like crazy and two are not. I will check again during the next weather break. We will see if they make it.
 
#323 ·
Didn't register to start, so this is just noise, not data, but we are currently three for three. Mine are quite heavy, so I'm letting them manage on their own until it warms up more, when I'll stick in half a protein patty for good luck. My brother's hive is light, so we will be putting some candy and dry sugar on the inner cover until it's warm enough to dig further in.

I knew I still had bees today when I walked out the back door and one flew up and checked out the red squares in my plaid shirt!

Peter
 
#324 ·
I discovered three more dead in San Jose. That makes 10 out of 35 gone.:w: I'm taking Olly's advice and using all my 10 frame deeps as bait hives. Oh wait, I feel another challenge coming on....yeah, another swarm challenge.
 
#326 ·
My sites with only a few hives have fared better than my site with 40. More contagious due to crowding?
 
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