31 degrees here today in the Chciago area. Here's a video of my bees. Funny thing, no yellow snow. Bees are alive though.
http://www.youtube.com/user/c10250#p/u/10/XQjJi2a4weU
http://www.youtube.com/user/c10250#p/u/10/XQjJi2a4weU
Video of my mid-winter hive
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Hey C, glad to see the bees are alive. Just curious though to see if you know that tapping your hive like that makes the bees consume 2-3 times what they normally would. Its also causes them to break that cluster. I cannot say I havent done something close, difference was it was 62 here instead of 31. Just thought i would let you know!
Adam
Adam
Wrapping makes them consume more?
Well, it depends on who you talk to. I've heard people say that they actually use HALF the stores when they wrap. That's seems logical to me. In particular, there was a post from a guy in Norway who uses Styrofoam bodies. He said that his bees consume 1/2 the stores than when he uses normal wood.
They don't burn as much to warm the hive. OK, OK, I know what you're thinking . . "they don't warm the hive, they warm the cluster". To that I say, I DON'T buy it. I've seen thermal images of hives in the winter time. They are definitely warming the hive. You can even see where the heat is escaping through the thinner handles cut into the wood.
Also, the question I have to ask is "why the heck would a bee consume more when he's warm?" No animal on Earth does that. Every animal that creates it's own heat needs many more calories to keep warm when it's cold. Bees don't hibernate. They metabolize honey to keep warm. If they don't have to burn as much fuel keeping warm, they won't use as much stores.
Finally, on another forum, a guy from Norway stated that the styrofoam hives actually out sell wooden hives in Norway because of their performance in the winter.
Well, it depends on who you talk to. I've heard people say that they actually use HALF the stores when they wrap. That's seems logical to me. In particular, there was a post from a guy in Norway who uses Styrofoam bodies. He said that his bees consume 1/2 the stores than when he uses normal wood.
They don't burn as much to warm the hive. OK, OK, I know what you're thinking . . "they don't warm the hive, they warm the cluster". To that I say, I DON'T buy it. I've seen thermal images of hives in the winter time. They are definitely warming the hive. You can even see where the heat is escaping through the thinner handles cut into the wood.
Also, the question I have to ask is "why the heck would a bee consume more when he's warm?" No animal on Earth does that. Every animal that creates it's own heat needs many more calories to keep warm when it's cold. Bees don't hibernate. They metabolize honey to keep warm. If they don't have to burn as much fuel keeping warm, they won't use as much stores.
Finally, on another forum, a guy from Norway stated that the styrofoam hives actually out sell wooden hives in Norway because of their performance in the winter.
maybe you misunderstood, I said tap, not wrap......you make them active when you tap on the hive. Mother Nature, or whatever you believe, designed them to slow down so that they will consume less and reserve stores in the colder weather....The more active they are, the more they consume.....Here is an article done by the Ky State Ap office and a study they did overwintering in Ky.
http://www.kyagr.com/statevet/bees/buzz/documents/THEBUZZMARCH2007.pdf
Its talked about on page 3
Sorry for the confusion.....
http://www.kyagr.com/statevet/bees/buzz/documents/THEBUZZMARCH2007.pdf
Its talked about on page 3
Sorry for the confusion.....
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