[Tigger19687]

Oh thanks for the reminder. I had checked earlier on the sugar but forgot to nail in the "porch roof" I didn't put on right last month.
We are suppose to get 50-60+ mph winds tonight to tomorrow.

FYI all 3 hives are alive.... 1 bee from each came out p.o'd that I was banging on the door LOL

 

[Robert Holcombe]

Refreshed their sugar slurry. All 7 alive and looking great. In the top box for warmth and convenient food source. Love being able to check on them. Sponge rewetted as water source. Close to single digits at night. May add a couple more inches in height to the quilt box and more burlap next year but winter config operating great. These are the days when they don’t get out as often.

I have two stand-alone nucs which are insulated. Both started-up at the same time but one di not 'boom" the other did. I syrup fed form the beginning until today - a warm day to be followed by rain tomorrow to wipe out our White Christmas. I removed the syrup feeder from the boomer to reduce hive surface exposure even though insulated, surface area plays a big role. I expected the second nuc to be a dead-out with snow and many days in the 'teens as this hive failed to take and stock up on syrup honey. Surprise it is still alive and witht he warm day there were bees taking syrup that had dribble out of the bottles. At least they are alive and eating something - so I put it back the way it was with a sensor to see if I can tell when it expires or survives under Intensive Care regimen. We are soggy with water after the two snow falls post drought. This is coastal RI and we get all kinds of crazy weather and today we hit the 50's - cleansing flights like mad! I can feel single digits coming.

 

[LAlldredge]

I have two stand-alone nucs which are insulated. Both started-up at the same time but one di not 'boom" the other did. I syrup fed form the beginning until today - a warm day to be followed by rain tomorrow to wipe out our White Christmas. I removed the syrup feeder from the boomer to reduce hive surface exposure even though insulated, surface area plays a big role. I expected the second nuc to be a dead-out with snow and many days in the 'teens as this hive failed to take and stock up on syrup honey. Surprise it is still alive and witht he warm day there were bees taking syrup that had dribble out of the bottles. At least they are alive and eating something - so I put it back the way it was with a sensor to see if I can tell when it expires or survives under Intensive Care regimen. We are soggy with water after the two snow falls post drought. This is coastal RI and we get all kinds of crazy weather and today we hit the 50's - cleansing flights like mad! I can feel single digits coming.

Feed is a great remedy for small hives. Gives them the strength to stay warm. What a boost to find them alive. Well done. Personally I think a hands on approach in winter if done properly is the way to go.

 

[JWPalmer]

The work hive was out flying today, temps got up to 61F but it was raining. Refilled the feeder and wished the girls a Merry Christmas.

 

[massbee]

All of mine are still alive and kicking! Took a peek in. No one needs anything.

 

[LAlldredge]

Winter OAV for the 7. Going for broodless.

 

[Swarmhunter]

-10F on Christmas morning. 33 hives tucked away 1 Nov. Fed heavy 15 Sept.- 15 Oct. Happy with the weights 1 Dec. They had a couple of warm spells in Nov. for cleansing flights. All seem happy today. Won't open until 1 March. Could use some snow around them. Keep on Buzzing!

 

[massbee]

A warm Christmas had all the hives out flying and doing house cleaning. Good to see all up and about.

 

[Gray Goose]

Refreshed their sugar slurry. All 7 alive and looking great. In the top box for warmth and convenient food source. Love being able to check on them. Sponge rewetted as water source. Close to single digits at night. May add a couple more inches in height to the quilt box and more burlap next year but winter config operating great. These are the days when they don’t get out as often.

Seasons greeting LAII,

on your water idea, what about a long sponge drawer, say 2 of the 2 inch by 4 inch 8 inch sponges, Have the bottom be screen or heavy cloth, Have a ring or rim around the sponges. Pull them out, toss in a bucket, squeese, replace. the ring would be the needful item to pull them out, could be a strip of seat belt like material, the screen floor would prevent rolling bees.

GG

 

[leadchunker]

All of the girls above the floodplain are out flying today. Lost 4 colonies due to flooding. They were swarms from after the latest hurricane that I caught. Very unusual to get extra high tides this time of year and the heavy rains upstream.

 

[Cloverdale]

All of the girls above the floodplain are out flying today. Lost 4 colonies due to flooding. They were swarms from after the latest hurricane that I caught. Very unusual to get extra high tides this time of year and the heavy rains upstream.

The storm here caused local flooding of the West Branch of the Delaware; my hives OK, but another beekeeper lost 9 out of 10 /(due to flooding) and all of their equipment, boxes, frames etc.

This was some of the water on my street:

h

 

[LarryBud]

Wow, I fly fish just to the north of your area. I don't think a lot of people here in the NY metro are realize how big the Delaware Basin is even though its the source of most of NYC's water. I can see it down here (Washington's Crossing) about 2 days later.

 

[leadchunker]

I back filled the area 4 feet after hurricane Florence. Filled in behind the colonies first then moved the entire row then filled in where the row was located. I lost fifty colonies in that yard due to flooding.
Lost none of the woodware. It was cabled down to prevent the wind from blowing colonies over. I had upper entrances for ventilation so the bees didn’t drown. They absconded, mostly. Couldn’t get to the bee yard for about 3 weeks. A lot of bees gone, a lot of frames shot from wax moth damage. Was a sad time in my bee keeping career.

 

[Cloverdale]

Wow, I fly fish just to the north of your area. I don't think a lot of people here in the NY metro are realize how big the Delaware Basin is even though its the source of most of NYC's water. I can see it down here (Washington's Crossing) about 2 days later.

Where do you fish? And yes the Delaware River is very big; we are West Branch, and East Branch, which flows into the Pepacton Reservoir and into Cannonsville Reservoir, which feeds to NYC. I want to say Beaverkill for trout fishing East Branch area.

 

[Gray Goose]

I back filled the area 4 feet after hurricane Florence. Filled in behind the colonies first then moved the entire row then filled in where the row was located. I lost fifty colonies in that yard due to flooding.
Lost none of the woodware. It was cabled down to prevent the wind from blowing colonies over. I had upper entrances for ventilation so the bees didn’t drown. They absconded, mostly. Couldn’t get to the bee yard for about 3 weeks. A lot of bees gone, a lot of frames shot from wax moth damage. Was a sad time in my bee keeping career.

Sorry to hear of your loss of bees.

GG

 

[Cloverdale]

I back filled the area 4 feet after hurricane Florence. Filled in behind the colonies first then moved the entire row then filled in where the row was located. I lost fifty colonies in that yard due to flooding.
Lost none of the woodware. It was cabled down to prevent the wind from blowing colonies over. I had upper entrances for ventilation so the bees didn’t drown. They absconded, mostly. Couldn’t get to the bee yard for about 3 weeks. A lot of bees gone, a lot of frames shot from wax moth damage. Was a sad time in my bee keeping career.

I agree, losing hives is depressing, especially 50! Back in 2016 my yard had AFB, from scale in frame from a nuc I had bought a few years earlier; the frame was very old, black comb, so didn’t use it but still had it stashed away; I used it needing more frames and burned 11 hives with their honey crop. That is when I went sustainable, only buy queens now to try out. I like Mike Palmer’s queens, a few were OK, but most were very good to excellent, gentle bee’s, overwinter nicely and don’t eat much, nice honey producers and seem to stick around unless I screw up and they swarm. Still have to treat them but that’s a given nowadays.

 

[leadchunker]

Temperatures will be up today and for the next few days. Going to get the feeders set up and make some syrup.

 

[username00101]

Localized flooding barely missed flood stage around my apiaries.

I know some beekeepers on the Delaware, I wonder if they lost their hives.

 

[Cloverdale]

Used the FLIR this morning; all look good except the two that didn't (but I knew that) I only got one image to download, Francis hive, MPalmer queen from last year. This was one of the best queens I was talking about.

 

[leadchunker]

I made 10 gallons of syrup and set up a community feeder at one of my yards today. Darn handle snapped off one of the five gallon buckets in the middle of the pour. So I’m guessing I got a total of 7-8 gallons in the feeder. The rest is on the ground.