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Offline TheHoneyPump

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Feeling crisp
« on: February 04, 2019, 03:58:04 pm »
Went for a nice walk early this morning. Thoroughly enjoying the season.
Crisp :  cool, fresh, and invigorating.

Here we are in my climate, at our annual one week of the polar vortex dip.  Every year between 2nd week of January and 2nd week of February the dip comes and we will have 3 to 7 days of crispy cold. The deep freeze week. February is absolutely the toughest month on the bees here.  They are stressed by their instinct to begin some brood rearing but are prevented from getting started by the cold weather. If they survive the annual deep week, although demoralized and weakened, they will make it to spring (end of March) and bust the seams of the boxes.

Over hot ginger tea and honey bu the fireplace, I have been enjoying the posts of progress of the southern hives on the upswing.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2019, 01:49:07 am by TheHoneyPump »
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

Offline Donovan J

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2019, 04:38:32 pm »
Went for a nice walk early this morning. Thoroughly enjoying the season.
Crisp :  cool, fresh, and invigorating.

Here we are in my climate, at our annual one week of the polar vortex dip.  Every year between 2nd week of January and 2nd week of February the dip comes and we will have 3 to 7 days of crispy cold. The deep freeze week. February is absolutely the toughest month on the bees here.  If they survive that week, although weakened, they will make it to spring (end of March).

I have been enjoying the posts of progress of the southern hives on the upswing.

Esh that's pretty cold. AT my place it got down to the teens and snowy. Not really Washington weather
3rd year of beekeeping and I still have lots to learn

Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2019, 05:10:06 pm »
HP: Oh wee, reminds me of my Montana days.  Minus 30 burns exposed skin, just burns on contact.

Here in Arkansas our high is 76F today, low 56F tonight, calm, sunny.  Unusual warm, not typical for this time of year.  In two days, a cold front and freeze which is more normal.

Bees bringing real pollen, very orange of unknown source to me.  Trees are not budding yet.  A quick look at my hives revealed drone brood with good food stores.  I did not look at bottom deeps, still a bit cool.

Seen my first red wasp today, boo hoo.  Vicious stinging critters they are.

Spring is on the way, HP.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2019, 05:54:01 pm by Stinger13 »
I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2019, 11:15:31 pm »
HP, when do you remove the bees from the bee storage building you showed a few months back?  Do you take bees from building to a given foraging area or is there a transition area for accumulation then to foraging area?
Spring is on it way.
I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Offline TheHoneyPump

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2019, 11:21:17 pm »
HP, when do you remove the bees from the bee storage building you showed a few months back?  Do you take bees from building to a given foraging area or is there a transition area for accumulation then to foraging area?
Spring is on it way.

After St Patrick's day. Usually 1 to 2 weeks later.
Moved to transition areas for assessments and spring work. Moved to outyards end of April.
There is no forage until May.  Willow buds mid of April, Dandelion mid-May, everything else June and into July.  All finished mid-August.
Spring is 8 weeks away.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2019, 04:29:39 pm by TheHoneyPump »
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2019, 12:15:43 am »
Astonishing!  I don't know how either man nor beast nor insect can survive there !!  Amazing!! Thanks for sharing!! I hope your bees fair well and when spring arrives you will be pleased with the results!
Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline TheHoneyPump

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2019, 01:23:43 am »
Well, hive beetle is not a problem. Neither is wax moth.  Everything else persists within each surviving bee colony.
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

Offline blackforest beekeeper

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2019, 01:25:22 am »
@THP:

I was wondering: As you have quite an astonishing flow "up there", how much sugar do you need to maintain the hives from mid-august till may?

Offline TheHoneyPump

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Feeling crisp
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2019, 01:37:45 am »
Honey supers are pulled off mid August and bees are left to fill the brood chambers on any remaining flow.  That tapers quickly and ends abruptly at first frost mid September. Each hive is weighed and topped off with syrup in September.

Target for a double deep with cover and base, 165lbs by Oct 15th.
Target for a single deep with cover and base is, until they will take no more, 95-105 lbs at Oct 31.

In 2 weeks from now on a warm day I will go weight some to see what stores levels are left.  I will not be doing any feeding.  Nothing I can nor will I do for them.  The purpose of the weights is only to help forecast what losses I can plan for by end of March.
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

Offline blackforest beekeeper

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2019, 01:51:35 am »
don`t you do any feeding in spring? a box full of bees won`t last till May on a box full of syrup?

Offline TheHoneyPump

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Feeling crisp
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2019, 04:28:28 pm »
don`t you do any feeding in spring? a box full of bees won`t last till May on a box full of syrup?

Quote
After St Patrick's day. Usually 1 to 2 weeks later.
Moved to transition areas for assessments and spring work. Moved to outyards end of April."

Define my "spring work" as:
 + assessment of each hive for viability
 + Feed: 2lb pollen/protein-sup patty + just enough syrup to keep them going until they fend for themselves.
 + Treatments as indicated by sampling
« Last Edit: February 05, 2019, 08:45:01 pm by TheHoneyPump »
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

Offline blackforest beekeeper

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #11 on: February 06, 2019, 01:40:31 am »
when is ST. Patrick?s day?

btw:
finally a spell of warmer day-time-temps is coming up for my pine-honey-loaded hives. i checked last Sunday in my hobbiest setup and all where at least alive. couldn?t check no further, frosty. nights are still chilly, I think it was -8 or so tonight.
weekend it shall go up to +14 in the warmer parts (not here...). if they get a couple of days for cleansing flight, I will give them another OAV and check on them.

The cold/cool spell with snow and frost has lasted now quite a while. Usually there are warm spells every now and again (the last decade anyhow), where they can fly and poop at least. made me a bit anxious lately so I couldn?t decide wether I will be going for lots of honey 2019 or have to re-build....

Offline TheHoneyPump

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Feeling crisp
« Reply #12 on: February 18, 2019, 10:21:48 pm »
St Patrick?s day is March 17.
It is STILL steady winter at near constant -22C.    Humph!
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

Offline blackforest beekeeper

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #13 on: February 19, 2019, 01:58:46 am »
oo wee!
Sorry to hear that.

We had a cleansing flight. I was at the bees at 15 C! Weatherforcast sees rather mild weather for the coming couple weeks. not quite as warm and frosts at night. but still.
two hands of capped brood on some frames. even in the black forest I saw capped brood, if less.
around the house the ground is frozen stiff still and a foot of hard-packed snow, but in the sun its quite bearable.
of 75, two dwindled down due to the pine honey poop inside  the hive. the rest is going fine.
if this weather keeps on, we will have lots of nucs to make.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #14 on: February 19, 2019, 08:33:53 am »
St Patrick?s day is March 17.
It is STILL steady winter at near constant -22C.    Humph!
86F in February in full sun!  I am not going to be able to take August.
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #15 on: February 19, 2019, 08:43:32 am »
Ace,
Get used to it. What is worse the high humidity will make our high temperatures feel 10 to 15 degrees hotter than they actually are.
It was 81 degrees here yesterday and the bees were bringing in pollen and nectar.
Jim
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Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #16 on: February 19, 2019, 09:24:14 pm »
Ace, your body will adjust to the heat, slowly as the months go by.  August will be a piece of cake as you adjust to the heat.  Air conditioners are considered in this equation of adjustment.  You will see, you will be just fine in August.

Now consider IF you are sun bathing mid day in August then yes Sir you might toast somewhat.  Lol
I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #17 on: February 20, 2019, 09:14:39 am »
Van, air conditioning makes it worse.  You go out to eat and it is like being in a meat cooler.  Any store anywhere is a meat cooler.  Why do they do that down here?  The weather is paradise and they turn every closed in space into a meat cooler.  The instant you walk out you think your in a sauna and if you weren't in a cooled space it would feel perfect.  Doesn't make sense to me.
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Offline blackforest beekeeper

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #18 on: February 20, 2019, 12:09:07 pm »
I once took a flight from Ohio to Miami beginning of March. Boy, when the doors of the airport opened I thought I`d get a stroke. And was only 17 then.

Offline CoolBees

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Re: Feeling crisp
« Reply #19 on: February 20, 2019, 04:07:33 pm »
St Patrick?s day is March 17.
It is STILL steady winter at near constant -22C.    Humph!

I'm so sorry HP. I hope you get a break soon! That's crazy to be that cold that long - sewer lines and water mains freeze if it stays cold that long. :( I hope all is well, ... and thank you for all your help here in the mean time.

PM me - Book a flight down to Napa's wine country, stay at my house, and get outta the cold for a while ... :)


... The weather is paradise and they turn every closed in space into a meat cooler.  The instant you walk out you think your in a sauna and if you weren't in a cooled space it would feel perfect.  Doesn't make sense to me.

I've often wondered the same thing Ace - it just don't make any sense.
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