0ur Winter - it is here and coming at the same point in time.

[eltalia]

As the rain tumbles down, not one but two TC (s) (hurricanes) headed my way. the bees
confined to quarters eating up stores on minimum brood, it is all I can do to trawl the
Net for bee stories or watch another rerun of "True Grit".
This our tropical Winter, we get through it to enjoy great times in the Aussie winter.
Or will it be?
The doom and gloom merchants are out already peddling the message 2018 is going
to see the worst of bad winters for our Southern brethern. I attach records for info, and
ask  "how ready are your bees to better these temps, you still pulling honey, attempting
splits, doing cutouts?"

Bill

[Bamboo]

Wow "Winter is Coming" are you GOT fan? Better cut some firewood if the temp is going to plunge to 23C! Our northern friends in the States would be going "You call that Winter...I'll show you Winter!

I hope Nora doesn't give you too much grief.
Cheers

[eltalia]

Wow "Winter is Coming" are you GOT fan? Better cut some firewood if the temp is going to plunge to 23C! Our northern friends in the States would be going "You call that Winter...I'll show you Winter!

I hope Nora doesn't give you too much grief.
Cheers

We wont get the wind here, if it regenerates as they predict, but the rain..!.. man,
it's coming down like it was the '80's all over again. Many will benefit from this.
Love it... bees hate it. Sitting huddled chowing down on six week old stores
by now I reckon. They would have gone through the fresh stuff in the past two weeks.

Bill

[beepro]

Are you going to give them extra feed like sugar bricks to get them
through the cold and long wet winter?   How long winter usually last anyway? 

[eltalia]

Are you going to give them extra feed like sugar bricks to get them
through the cold and long wet winter?   How long winter usually last anyway?

For temperate Aussie, around 3.5 months BP.
For us in the Tropics the winter you speak of is nonexistant, maybe a few hours
on the odd day here and there in June, around the Solstice times.
Our 'winter' is right now, as it has been raining (no bee flying) for nearly a month
now and that at close to max brood nests when it started, so most if not all those
young bees will die... leaving a huge problem for those running borderline
colonies due to enthusiastic extraction (harvesting).
Where temperate zones might get a few fly days here and there in Winter we do
not in the Wet, and when it does cease raining for a day or two the flora is all
stuffed/buggered/shagged as the flowers are washed out or dead from flood
waters.

Simply put.. it aint "cold" but it IS the same penalty, for bees.
And no,  I do not feed. I refuse to go there and set my colonies
to accomodate these times, as I strongly believe all beekeepers
everywhere _should_ be doing.
Buuuuuut, honeybandits are everywhere these days so each to their
own, I reckon.

Bill

[RobboWA]

Hi Bill,

We're bunkering down here in South West WA, been an awesome season for Marri so the hives are full and I wont touch them. 2 seasons ago was horrendous for us for cold weather so will be interesting to see how this one matches up! I must admit I do miss the QLD winters, been in WA 5 years now and still seems strange to get rain in winter.

Enjoy the sun,
Clint

[eltalia]

Mornin' Robbo... yep, the flow in the SouWest has been all over bee
news everywhere. Even got a mention on ABC TV Landline!
Hearing latest updates for Easter.... more rain.
Bees will be peedOff.. heh :-))
SouWA isn't such a place to envy Qld from Robbo... some great country
there and good people. Pity about the Winters tho'.. double layered
codpiece required, IF breeding is a priority..heh heh :-}

Bill

[beepro]

So you would leave the honey for them and don't give them any
sugar bricks for winter feeding?   How can the winter bees survive without extra
feed?

[max2]

I leave enough honey for the bees to make it through our " winter" - never feed them sugar.

I'm about 120 km N of Brisbane - inland.

Along the coast some of the best flows happen in winter. We have a very earlt Spring here and if there is enough soil moisture we can get our best flows.

[Bamboo]

We have a very earlt Spring here and if there is enough soil moisture we can get our best flows.

Mate if you have had anywhere near the rain we have had over the last few months the water table is going to be plenty high. so an early call but it looks real good for spring. I am amazed with all the showers that have been going thru here that the girls are still collecting, seems to be equal amounts of nectar and pollen. Today was the first day we had a day of sunshine with no rain for ages. The girls were positively ecstatic judging by the amount of activity going on.

[eltalia]

We had a four hour break into sunset, today.
Starts again tomorrow until Tuesday, and hopefully no wind with it.

Bill

[220]

Here in the south Im in the opposite situation, great flying weather but minimal flow.
Average rainfall for us is over 1200mm but YTD is less than 75mm. Last decent rain we had was the start of Dec it set up a good early summer but things have really tapered off the last 2 months.
Pulled all my swarm traps yesterday and will rob in the next couple of days. do one final inspection after that and pack them down for winter.

I think I have had a reasonably successfull season, will go into winter with twice as many hives as last year and all far stronger. My strongest hive looks like it will end up producing over 70kg and my Jan splits are all now double deeps.
 
Had my first enquiry about a cut out Thursday. Bees are in a cupboard in a shed but out of the way enough they are in no hurry and happy to leave them until spring. We can start getting overnight temps below freezing from anytime but probably wont until we get some decent rainfall .

[eltalia]

We have a very earlt Spring here and if there is enough soil moisture we can get our best flows.

Mate if you have had anywhere near the rain we have had over the last few months .....

Touch wood we are all done here... the long term forecast turned out a fizzer with
the dawn bringing blue skies and hopefully our best weather of the year, the runup
to June.
The yard had it's losses in bee numbers but only one major in a developmental
colony and that entirely down to poor attention to hive body finish, it leaked rain.
The NH equivalent of leaking heat.
So "upwards and onwards" we get into 2018 fair dinkum like , now :-))

Bill

[Bamboo]

We have a very earlt Spring here and if there is enough soil moisture we can get our best flows.

Mate if you have had anywhere near the rain we have had over the last few months .....

Touch wood we are all done here... the long term forecast turned out a fizzer with
the dawn bringing blue skies and hopefully our best weather of the year, the runup
to June.


Bill

So Iris is going to miss you? Seems like we have a TC every other day at the moment!!
Fortunately I am too far south to get hit like you guys have been getting. Sunday and yesterday lovely days here lots of sunshine and no wind.

[eltalia]

We have a very earlt Spring here and if there is enough soil moisture we can get our best flows.

Mate if you have had anywhere near the rain we have had over the last few months .....

Touch wood we are all done here... the long term forecast turned out a fizzer with
the dawn bringing blue skies and hopefully our best weather of the year, the runup
to June.


Bill

So Iris is going to miss you? Seems like we have a TC every other day at the moment!!
Fortunately I am too far south to get hit like you guys have been getting. Sunday and yesterday lovely days here lots of sunshine and no wind.

Long gone around here, way to the SouEast and stationary over water.
Given the usual at this late stage in the cyclone year it is a safe bet
TC Iris will wilt and die, fast :-)))

Bill