I got in my three hives today. Glad I did. Found brood in two and no brood yet in the other. Checked my notes from last year and they are running a little behind. Its been real cold here. Near sixty today and still snow on the ground in the shade. Anyhow one hive was on its way to a starve out. Had plenty of honey but not near the brood. Butts hanging out and the bottom board was full of dead bees and others trying to clean out. Put a couple of frames next to the brood and scratched it . Feed all a little pollen patty. Open feeding for the next couple of days. Im glad I looked. Almost left them alone because had activity coming in and out. I think I would have lost one of them. Keeping my fingers crossed. Peace
Late Feb report
if there is a similar thread move this post to it, otherwise how about some mid-late feb reports.
sunny and 55 today. the girls in the west hive are out in force, i watched them do some spring cleaning for probably 30 min. Did a quick check of the top honey super, they were up getting food, id estimate 50lbs left of a super that was full 70lbs going into winter. did not check either the med super below it or the deep on the bottom for frames of honey although i know going into winter both supers had at least 4 frames of honey.
Finally did a full exam of the east hive that i determined had likely starved early in winter. No bees found in bottom deep super, everything was clean except for a few cells of pollen. main cluster was in the med super above it in a 5" diam cluster, spanning 4ish frames (so about 5" ball). typical starve to death signs, bee butts up in every cell within the cluster. The med honey super that was on top is completely empty like the bottom deep. (it weighted in at 70lbs of capped honey durring summer but by late fall had eaten at least half of it) NOTE this was likely due to a late swarm in aug.
Least they used up all there supplies before they starved unlike last year when my hive starved out with a good 4-5 med frames of capped honey sitting on top of the cluster.
The east hive has been cleaned out and is awaiting a new swarm, if i dont catch one ill make a split off the west hive and order a new queen.
I dont plan on feeding.
sunny and 55 today. the girls in the west hive are out in force, i watched them do some spring cleaning for probably 30 min. Did a quick check of the top honey super, they were up getting food, id estimate 50lbs left of a super that was full 70lbs going into winter. did not check either the med super below it or the deep on the bottom for frames of honey although i know going into winter both supers had at least 4 frames of honey.
Finally did a full exam of the east hive that i determined had likely starved early in winter. No bees found in bottom deep super, everything was clean except for a few cells of pollen. main cluster was in the med super above it in a 5" diam cluster, spanning 4ish frames (so about 5" ball). typical starve to death signs, bee butts up in every cell within the cluster. The med honey super that was on top is completely empty like the bottom deep. (it weighted in at 70lbs of capped honey durring summer but by late fall had eaten at least half of it) NOTE this was likely due to a late swarm in aug.
Least they used up all there supplies before they starved unlike last year when my hive starved out with a good 4-5 med frames of capped honey sitting on top of the cluster.
The east hive has been cleaned out and is awaiting a new swarm, if i dont catch one ill make a split off the west hive and order a new queen.
I dont plan on feeding.
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I just watched mine from outside today, no time for opening them up. If it's this nice again tomorrow (low-mid 60's) I'll take a look. Bees in and out, taking out the dead, bringing in LOTS of pollen, some bright yellow some greyish yellow, not sure what it's from, maybe camellia, daffodil and elm? Hadn't noticed elms blooming yet..maybe something else. So glad Spring is getting closer!
Checked all of my apiaries yesterday and today.
Added SW to 2 at the farm. One that I added SW in Jan still had almost all of the SW in the can. Some of the hives were really active. Some more in the shade were not very active. The couple I had put on dry sugar were living but I didn't know it until I tried to take off the top super with the sugar. Bees were right under the sugar piles. Left a community bucket of SW under the hay barn for them to find as they start looking foraging. Didn't notice any pollen.
Apiary of 1 hive was active. Didn't see any pollen. Had taken very little of the SW I put on top on 1/28.
Apiary at home. All bees flying. Sucking up the SW in the community bucket. Was watching them a little while ago and all hives were brining in pollen. Some bright yellow, some light yellow and some grayish white.
I lve in town so I have no idea where they are getting the pollen. Some of the maples are really budded out but stopped when we had these last 15 or so days of freezing weather. It's possible that some of them are actually starting to bloom at the top of the trees since the weather has been around 50 for the high for the last 3-4 days.
For some reason some of the hives at the house were aggressive. Didn't get stung but they where checking me out and wanting me to leave. Did have one pop me on my t-shirt but didn't go through the cotton.
Don't want to go into the hives to see the frames until it warms up a lot more than it is at the moment.
Added SW to 2 at the farm. One that I added SW in Jan still had almost all of the SW in the can. Some of the hives were really active. Some more in the shade were not very active. The couple I had put on dry sugar were living but I didn't know it until I tried to take off the top super with the sugar. Bees were right under the sugar piles. Left a community bucket of SW under the hay barn for them to find as they start looking foraging. Didn't notice any pollen.
Apiary of 1 hive was active. Didn't see any pollen. Had taken very little of the SW I put on top on 1/28.
Apiary at home. All bees flying. Sucking up the SW in the community bucket. Was watching them a little while ago and all hives were brining in pollen. Some bright yellow, some light yellow and some grayish white.
I lve in town so I have no idea where they are getting the pollen. Some of the maples are really budded out but stopped when we had these last 15 or so days of freezing weather. It's possible that some of them are actually starting to bloom at the top of the trees since the weather has been around 50 for the high for the last 3-4 days.
For some reason some of the hives at the house were aggressive. Didn't get stung but they where checking me out and wanting me to leave. Did have one pop me on my t-shirt but didn't go through the cotton.
Don't want to go into the hives to see the frames until it warms up a lot more than it is at the moment.
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187 Posts
Still nursing fx tibia, my dtr came up from WVU today and shoveled a path to my TBH , started early last summer. I had put a bale of hay on top, and on each side. Snow is still piled all around it, and I didn't want to disturb it. Temp very sunny, about 38degrees, up to 40 tomorrow. Lots of dead bees in front. So far, optimistic.
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44 Posts
My bees are fetching lots of pollen, bright yellow to yellowish gray, not sure the source. I also noticed many of them working the potting soil in my raised garden beds. What are they getting from the soil? I have never noticed this before.
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9,314 Posts
I moved a small hive inside this winter, one that I was going to shake out but got lazy and just placed it inside the shed winter because I had to store the equipment away anyway.
opened that lid and they are still alive. Small but they are holding a defined cluster.
Might just make the winter,
All the rest of the hives in the shed have visible bees.
Not alot of spotting on the hives
Might be a good spring
opened that lid and they are still alive. Small but they are holding a defined cluster.
Might just make the winter,
All the rest of the hives in the shed have visible bees.
Not alot of spotting on the hives
Might be a good spring
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