We worked several years ago up near Goodman & Iron Mountain. WI is a beautiful state but it is absolutely the coldest place I have ever been in my life.Here too, wicked cold starting right now. We won't get above zero degrees Fahrenheit for at least 2-4 days.
It was 68F when I was digging out broken wooden fence posts three days ago and bees were flying. In two more days -27F is the forecast low. My bees are recently checked for stores and have an insulated wrap. I am a lot more concerned about my apple and pear trees than my bees! Cold alone does not kill bees. High winds pushing that cold into a hive where bees are not clustered is indeed a major problem in open winters going bad! Close up all those extra ventilation holes in your hives! One mid level or upper entrance vent/entrance is all they need and all they choose if given a choice.Going to be -20 for the weekend and not above 0 for next week. I guess we'll see how hardy they are. A couple weeks ago they were alive and had honey available.
Good luck everyone. From WC MN.
I checked the hive temp. with my Broodminder today. A nice 84 degrees inside.Outside was 0. The girls are doing their job. Though -20 yet to come. KADGoing to be -20 for the weekend and not above 0 for next week. I guess we'll see how hardy they are. A couple weeks ago they were alive and had honey available.
Good luck everyone. From WC MN.
Did your bees get many days of cleansing flights? I’m looking at 2-1/2 months with another solid month to go before it’s warm enough to fly.The first winter I had bees successfully make it was 2012-2013 winter with 50 day below zero for day time high.
I have already had 5 months with no cleansing flights in the bees are fine.Did your bees get many days of cleansing flights? I’m looking at 2-1/2 months with another solid month to go before it’s warm enough to fly.
You must have them bundled up tight. What’s your winter setup?I have already had 5 months with no cleansing flights in the bees are fine.
Yes I do. Polystyrene beehives from Superior Bee made in Ohio. The reason I mentioned them is they are the only ones that make a FULL 2" polystyrene beehive so it's probably R10 if the other guys claim R8.You must have them bundled up tight. What’s your winter setup?
84 degree temperature difference? Really? I've got temperature sensors in all my hives and they rarely show a greater than 10 degree temperature difference and that may be more due to thermal inertia and solar gain than by any heating the bees provide. I'm speechless.I checked the hive temp. with my Broodminder today. A nice 84 degrees inside.Outside was 0. The girls are doing their job. Though -20 yet to come. KAD
that's a bad sign.It's high noon and still 10 degrees below zero F. Even so the colonies are still doing house cleaning and I get to inspect all the dead bees they set at the entrance. Just as I suspected they are brooding up and have been for a while because I found a dead pupa I would estimate it to be 18 or 19 days old.