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When will bees break cluster?

3K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  rumeye 
#1 ·
Does it take consecutive nights of 45º + temps? Or just a few warm days?
Any rule of thumb which can be used for reference? On the warm days when they do fly, do they go back into cluster formation when the night time temps hit below freezing?

The reason I ask is I have a single deep colony that does have sugar cake on top of the frames which they are eating readily (not a lot of it left). Still cold weather here so I can't inspect all to see what all they have left to eat. I'd like to add a frame of honey to them (from a hive that didn't make it) but don't want to be digging through the cluster to position it close to them. I also have pollen patties to give them, I know I can lay one on top of the frames over the cluster.
 
#2 ·
A single warm day is all you need. Watch for bees flying out. Bees will cluster when it's cold and break out when it's warm. It's not like they only go into a cluster and break out once a year. If the bees are flying then the bees can reach honey anywhere in the hive, so it doesn't have to be right on them. Great idea to add a frame first chance you get. Much better to do that then risk them starving.

Good luck!
 
#5 ·
Had that happen in early febuary on a 40 degree day and alot of bee's cleansed and crashed and burned in the snow that hive is since deceased lost alot of bee's.Might of had something to do with the Grinner that got in my aipary that I had to shoot. Weird because it's been below zero here for most of the winter.Those things hole up like ***** but suppose it was warm a couple days made him come out. 2 hives down 1 left still alive mountain camped that one 2 weeks ago still eating sugar hope they can make it another 3 weeks til we get some consistant warm weather.
 
#11 ·
Yes it's a possum . 20 years ago we had none but because of some warm winters and drought they hauled in hay from down south . Now we have a very good population of them here. That son of a gun was sitting right in front eating bees. I don't know how long he was there but he's taking a dirt nap now. One good thing is their slow so you can hit them with the truck real easy when they are on the road.
 
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