Smell?

[Sledin]

I?m in Manitoba Canada, I over wintered three double brood chamber hives. They were placed on a garage door panel on top of a pallet, then a blue styrofoam box placed over all three.
It?s my first winter with success, the hives are full of bees. Today I popped the inner covers to place a bag of feed to make sure they are strong for the start of the flow.

My only concern was the hives stank, it that normal after over wintering?


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[TheHoneyPump]

Yes.
Tip the hive up off the bottom board and clean it off.  Get the board cleared of dead bees and mold.  Scrape clean best you can. The bees will do the rest.  They first need a clean bottom to toss stuff down to and then able to it out. 

[MikeyN.C.]

Is the entrance full , if so reach around and find a branch . snap it off , and use it as a cleaning tool. To move dead bee's out of the way, if temps allow u to.

[MikeyN.C.]

Sledin, where are you located? How cold or hot are you?

[Sledin]

Sledin, where are you located? How cold or hot are you?

I?m in Canada, it was 10c today (50f).
It?s a bit too cold yet to really open things up, I might wait a couple weeks and find a really nice day to open the hive.
I got my first dose of stings for the season, I?ve got a good bump on my forehead.


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[van from Arkansas]

Sledin, question?  Is your blue styrofoam box vented?

Great your bees survived in Canada, my hat is off to beeks that can meet that hostile cold challenge.  HP, another beek on this forum, in your country, manages hives 1,000 plus.  Just incredible to me.
Blessings

[Sledin]

It has two holes per hive, one for the bottom entrance and one for the top.


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