[Arnie]

Same here, a hazy orange glow, especially late afternoon.

 

[elmer_fud]

Everyone ready for the 90's on Monday and the snow on Tuesday?

 

[Arnie]

Nope. Not ready.
But that's Colorado for you.

One year I was playing in the fall softball league and it was 90 when the game started. In about the 3rd inning the wind started blowing HARD. By the end of the game there was an inch of snow on the outfield grass .

 

[elmer_fud]

Nope. Not ready.

I am not either.

My to do list before Tuesday is:
blow out drip and anti siphons valve
move house plants back inside
wrap up vegetables that are still growing
add heaters to 2 small mating hives that I dont think can survive the cold on their own
pick fruits and vegtables

 

[Wosiewose]

Do you all think we should start feeding pollen patties/syrup once it warms up a bit, in a day or two? I'm concerned that this cold snap/snow has probably killed off most of the flowers the bees had available for foraging...

 

[Bear Creek Steve]

Wosie, I would start feeding 2:1 sugar syrup and continue until they stop taking it. I would not feed pollen or pollen sub until late January or into February. Have you done Varroa mite mitigation? August - September is when the life cycle of the honey bee is going down and the life cycle of the Varroa mite is going up and it is at this time that the "mites per bee count" can get extremely high. It is also the period when the winter bees, (or fat bees) are being produced which will live for as much as five months and have the chore of getting the colony started off next year. If those bees are badly infested with Varroa mites during their development (now) they will be weakened and may not make it through winter. One of the easily identifiable diseases carried by the Varroa is deformed wing virus (DWV) and you should keep an eye out for it on the newly emerged bees during your fall inspections.
Have a good winter.
Steve

 

[elmer_fud]

brrrrrrr, 10 degrees out and 6 inches of snow.

I have one weak hive (2 frames of bees, had a drone laying queen late in the year, and took a while to get the hive queen right) in the basement as a learning experience/trying to get them built up. I think all of the others outside are in good shape.

I am going to have to babysit my basement hive, but I am sort of looking at it as a learning experience and they would not make it on their own outside.