My six hives have been on a hive stand...sort of a long bench about 18 inches off the ground...all summer. Did fine...lots of honey, etc. I did not move them down to ground level...but now I think I should have.
I just checked my six hives...and found 3 dead ones. All had strong stores and bees going into the winter season. They appeared however to have starved even though there was plenty of honey in adjacent frames.
The only thing I can conclude is that during the first & next few cold snaps of the fall (lows in the 20's...highs in the 40's)... being off the ground just made it too cold for them to keep things warm and move to their honey stores.
Any thoughts? I've kept bees for several years and haven't had this kind of loss this early. This is my 3rd year in central Ohio.
I'm thinking I should have left well enough alone and kept them at ground level. Any advice or similar experience would be most appreciated. I've learned alot from the forum in the past.
thanks
Burt in Central Ohio
I just checked my six hives...and found 3 dead ones. All had strong stores and bees going into the winter season. They appeared however to have starved even though there was plenty of honey in adjacent frames.
The only thing I can conclude is that during the first & next few cold snaps of the fall (lows in the 20's...highs in the 40's)... being off the ground just made it too cold for them to keep things warm and move to their honey stores.
Any thoughts? I've kept bees for several years and haven't had this kind of loss this early. This is my 3rd year in central Ohio.
I'm thinking I should have left well enough alone and kept them at ground level. Any advice or similar experience would be most appreciated. I've learned alot from the forum in the past.
thanks
Burt in Central Ohio