Author Topic: Getting ready for spring (Read 17241 times)

JanO · « **on:** January 04, 2014, 12:16:54 pm »

This weekend appears to be our last couple of sunny days for a while, if the fog ever burns off, so I'll be painting boxes. What is everyone else doing this weekend to prepare for spring?

iddee · « **Reply #1 on:** January 04, 2014, 12:18:58 pm »

Hibernating

Gary · « **Reply #2 on:** January 04, 2014, 12:23:32 pm »

Assembling frames. I have about 1000 to do so I try to get through 30 pr 40 each day. Gets a little repetitious after awhile.

efmesch · « **Reply #3 on:** January 04, 2014, 12:23:45 pm »

Two weeks ago we had a rainstorm with torrential rains and strong winds. The combination uprooted and knocked over an almond tree that was just behind my hives.

To my good fortune the branches didn't knock over or disturb my hives, but they pretty much made them inaccessible. I've been using my spare time to cut down the branches so that I'll once again be able to work my hives.
There's a lot of sawing work ahead for me.

Finally Home · « **Reply #4 on:** January 04, 2014, 12:27:21 pm »

Finished up my bee vac and made a few bottom boards and inner covers.
Preparing for wind chills close to -40 between sunday night and tuesday morning. Going to be brutal here for a few days.

Slowmodem · « **Reply #5 on:** January 04, 2014, 01:17:48 pm »

Quote from: JanO on January 04, 2014, 12:16:54 pm

This weekend appears to be our last couple of sunny days for a while, if the fog ever burns off, so I'll be painting boxes. What is everyone else doing this weekend to prepare for spring?

Ha! I'm gathering firewood and winterizing the house to make it to the Spring. It normally doesn't get below zero here. And > 60 hours below 32F is going to burst a lot of people's pipes around here. And if it snows and the power goes out, gonna have to have cook in the fireplace. And if.......... etc.

riverbee · « **Reply #6 on:** January 04, 2014, 01:18:20 pm »

us to FH, crazy wind chill factors until tuesday.......so like iddee said HIBERNATING, and hanging out here!

Slowmodem · « **Reply #7 on:** January 04, 2014, 01:24:41 pm »

Quote from: efmesch on January 04, 2014, 12:23:45 pm

Two weeks ago we had a rainstorm with torrential rains and strong winds. The combination uprooted and knocked over an almond tree that was just behind my hives.
To my good fortune the branches didn't knock over or disturb my hives, but they pretty much made them inaccessible. I've been using my spare time to cut down the branches so that I'll once again be able to work my hives.
There's a lot of sawing work ahead for me.

Glad your hives are in one piece. Do you have a fireplace? You'd be set for a good long while with all that wood!

efmesch · « **Reply #8 on:** January 04, 2014, 01:28:05 pm »

Quote from: Slowmodem on January 04, 2014, 01:17:48 pm

Ha! I'm gathering firewood .................. gonna have to have cook in the fireplace.

If I could send you over the internet some of the chunks of wood I've been cutting from my fallen almond tree, it would keep you warm for a few days of that expected freeze. Sorry you've got a slow modem.

efmesch · « **Reply #9 on:** January 04, 2014, 01:31:51 pm »

I've got a stove heater, but it only works on kerosene. If only it worked on wood-it would be a lot cheaper. Most of the time we heat using our air conditioner, on the heat setting.

Jen · « **Reply #10 on:** January 04, 2014, 01:58:35 pm »

Ordering winter patties from B and B Honey Farms. Impressed with their low shipping costs.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #11 on:** January 04, 2014, 02:07:19 pm »

Few more frames to assemble, and a couple bottom boards and top covers to make.. Probably begin disassembling the old extractor I drug home and see what its going to take to resurrect it.. All of course in the heated shop.. probably wont be heading outside to do more than chores and fill the wood stove for the next three days.

Bakersdozen · « **Reply #12 on:** January 04, 2014, 02:34:58 pm »

I am preparing for more winter weather. Even though the sun is shining now, they say in a few hours the snow it supposed to start. Sunday night thorugh Monday we are supposed to get an artic blast of cold temperatures like we haven't seen in 30-40 years. I'm watching to see if our bee club cancels our Monday monthly meeting due to the cold. We have a lot of members that travel quite a long distance to come to meetings. So, my checklist consists of full gas tank, blanket in car, cell phone charged...

mamapoppybee · « **Reply #13 on:** January 04, 2014, 03:01:55 pm »

not a bad day here button up long sleeve shirt weather. just mapping out my to do list for this season. looking at getting a compost tumbler, waiting on stuff to get here so i can start building and painting it, gonna clear old garden for sun flowers and corn. planting two fruit trees on the extra part. Had a friend help me till and she seemed to think bigger was better. Gotta burn off some brush piles, and more. never a dull moment.

Woody Roberts · « **Reply #14 on:** January 04, 2014, 03:28:56 pm »

Today I've gathered wood, fed the horses and getting ready for our next deep freeze. Last week I did put sugar bricks on a couple hives I have a Sparta. Their both new starts this year and are in single deeps. I felt they were heavy enough but I don't check them as often as I should and I didn't want them to starve when the start spring buildup.

With my Russian/ ferrel, mostly ferrel bees it doesn't take much to get them thru winter but once spring breaks the can go thru the groceries. Woody

efmesch · « **Reply #15 on:** January 04, 2014, 03:36:35 pm »

Welcome to the forum Woody.

Your reminding us of the dangers of "spring starvation" comes at just the right time---when we can still do something to prevent it Thanks

tecumseh · « **Reply #16 on:** January 04, 2014, 04:29:20 pm »

it is a bit windy and cold here today.

from now until about the first of March I will be on a constant schedule of 1) feed, feed, feed on about a 15 day cycle 2) painting and repairing about 150 used box and frames 3) assembling, painting and getting ready about 80 new boxes and frames. as a casual rule I do #1 whenever the weather permits and #2 and 3 whenever it is too cold or wet. with #2 and 3 some sort of foundation is typically also required and I generally do not do this last step until I am ready to take these into the field and placed onto a hive.

Slowmodem · « **Reply #17 on:** January 04, 2014, 04:34:52 pm »

Quote from: mamapoppybee on January 04, 2014, 03:01:55 pm

not a bad day here button up long sleeve shirt weather. just mapping out my to do list for this season. looking at getting a compost tumbler, waiting on stuff to get here so i can start building and painting it, gonna clear old garden for sun flowers and corn. planting two fruit trees on the extra part. Had a friend help me till and she seemed to think bigger was better. Gotta burn off some brush piles, and more. never a dull moment.

I have a compost tumbler. It does ok. It works best if you shred or chop your compost into smaller pieces. Potatoes and such take a long long time unless you cut them up. Also, mine has air holes in the side. If yours does, you should keep a stick handy to poke the compost out of the air holes (it tends to stop them up when they're on the bottom).

I have a worm farm try gizmo I'm going to try to harvest come stuff out of this next week. The bottom try looks wonderful, but I've got to figure how to get the worms out. I've seen some videos on youtube, so I guess I'll be checking them out. A good snow day project.

Perry · « **Reply #18 on:** January 04, 2014, 04:38:10 pm »

Hey Woody, I see this was your first post. If you get a chance, post a bit about yourself in the intro thread.
Good to see you here.

Woody Roberts · « **Reply #19 on:** January 04, 2014, 05:46:04 pm »

Hey Perry
I posted under Wolfer over at beekeeping int.

The first forum I joined the name woody was taken. Since I'm an avid coyote hunter and if I had worked on a western ranch in the 1800s I probaly would have been their Wolfer, hence the name.

Since this forum was pretty new I thought I might get by with my real name.