Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => Beekeeping 101 => Topic started by: Jen on November 15, 2014, 02:51:02 pm
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I forgot ~ for winter, inner cover notch up or down?
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I don't use notches, but I put inner cover shallow side down, deep side up, year round.
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Okay, so you don't have upper ventilation?
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This cover does it all.
http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/10-Frm-Wintering-Inner-Cover/productinfo/W671/
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Notch down.
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Thanks Perry :)
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notch down year round for me.......
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notch down year round for me.......
:yes: :yes: :yes:
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NO. I've never used upper ventilation. They can circulate the air any way they want it, but cannot keep it from rising and escaping. They can push it out the bottom, or keep it in. Their choice.
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iddee, and for others, to what iddee said, i do find sometimes that the bees will propolize the notch in the front of the inner cover, (my notch is much wider 3-3 1/2") or the hole in the inner cover to their liking.......don't scrape it out or remove the propolis, cuz they WILL fill it back in. i let them do it. they know better than me their needs for ventilation and circulation/heat and air cooling.
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Okay, mainly I need to know for when I wrap the hives. Some say up and some say down. Mine are all down, so I'll just keep it that way :) Thanks!
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My notches are all down as well.. I use about an inch for the upper entrance vent.. I did NOT open some of those notches when I wrapped this year to see what happens.. Of course, with no reserves it may not be much of a test....
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Geez Scott, it would be nice if all of us could take turns holding a candlelight watch over your hives this winter. I would do that for steady hot chocolate with brandy in it, and a nice bon fire in the snow... I really would! ;)
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Just got a BIG new fire ring too! will post pics when I get it set up.. perfect thing to hold a... firelight vigil!
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This is scary i agree with the notch down also?? :o Mainly because of the need for a top entrance when we have deep S--- and for ventilation. There have been many times the S--- stayed on for weeks at a time.I don't know if they have that problem in NC. ? Jen, i'm curious why you wrap your hives in California ??? Jack
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Um.... well.... I dunno frankly! Following the others I guess. But it's precautionary, we live on a slope where a strong wind comes down every day around 4:00. And it's not uncommon to get below zero for a stretch. Really... upper northern Cali is not that balmy! There are no palm trees here like depicted in Hollywood :D
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Nope, I think 3 or 4 days is the longest I've ever seen it last here. We get some deep ones, but the last 17 inch one was gone in 3 days.
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Nope, I think 3 or 4 days is the longest I've ever seen it last here. We get some deep ones, but the last 17 inch one was gone in 3 days.
My friend had a winter home in Dunn NC, he would live there for 5 months and come back here to live for the summer. once in awhile I would go down and stay with him for a few days. It was nice to get away from the Snowbelt.
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We have some in our bee club that go south for the winter (their called Snow Birds) ;D Jack
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Notch down, all year long here in Michigan.
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"This is scary i agree with the notch down also?? :o Mainly because of the need for a top entrance when we have deep S--- and for ventilation. There have been many times the S--- stayed on for weeks at a time.I don't know if they have that problem in NC. ? Jen, i'm curious why you wrap your hives in California ??? Jack"
i'm with jack......scary isn't it?.......... :D
today, after our recent snowfalls and freezing temps, the front entrance was ice and snow covered. a small critter had dug away at the front entrance, no footprints? but the bees had tried to carry out the dead, a pile in front and blocking the entrance. i cleared the ice and snow away, and the dead bees. my bees are not using the top entrance right now, as they are in the bottom deep, but in the near future they will be using the top entrance in my inner cover, at that point i won't be too concerned about the bottom. the bottom deep will get clogged up with dead bees on the bottom board and so will the entrance reducer. the only thing i do is from time to time clear the snow away, clear out bees blocking the entrance reducer, and when weather warms, i use a slim jim to clear the floor of the bottom deep, usually not until early spring.
jen, like jack, not really sure you need to wrap hives in your climate? only you can decide.
snowbirds? well i am a snowbird alright.......dang silly snowbird trudging around in 7" of snow and checking a hive at 0 degrees with a stethoscope, and hefting the backside of it, then taking the 4 wheel horse out for a 20 minute ride to keep the battery charged so i don't have to put a trickle charger on it...... :D
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No notch here in Texas. Don't use inner covers in summer. In winter I'm still figuring out the balance between cold drip control and ventilation. For awhile there I was using styrofoam board with #8 hardware cloth attached to the bottom of it, just a small section a wee bit larger than the opening on an inner cover. had bees slipping past and freezing... But any opening is a good opportunity for robbing around here. Unless coiled screen in it.