Author Topic: Countdown to the Bee's spring.  (Read 1278 times)

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Offline iddee

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Countdown to the Bee's spring.
« on: December 03, 2018, 05:46:56 pm »
18 days to go.

Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 at 5:23 PM will be winter solstice. As the days get longer, the queens will begin laying for spring bees. It will start in the south and move northward and increase as the days get longer and the flows begin.

Just remember, most hives that starve will do so in the last weeks before bloom. The supplies will be running low and the brood, IE: mouths to feed, will be increasing. Heft your hives often and feed as needed.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein
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Offline Mikey N.C.

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Re: Countdown to the Bee's spring.
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2018, 07:51:47 pm »
Pollen slowed. Down some off white , little brite orange.  Looking good feeling good.

Offline Jen

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Re: Countdown to the Bee's spring.
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2018, 09:37:57 pm »
I am holding my breath. Smaller colonies, not enough stores. I sure hope they don't get tired of sugar bricks and winter patties.
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Offline Jacobs

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Re: Countdown to the Bee's spring.
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2018, 07:10:26 am »
My home hives are the ones that get intense management.  I try and stimulate brood rearing early in these hives to get frames of young nurse bees and brood to boost weak hives in other locations.  I'll start in on this at or soon after solstice and deal with swarm management later (if nature lets me go forward as planned).