Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: Nugget Shooter on February 19, 2017, 03:48:49 pm

Title: Got a lesson in cold and wet
Post by: Nugget Shooter on February 19, 2017, 03:48:49 pm
Learned over the last cold and steady rain days what can happen to bees used to high 70s and working a flow.... Poor critters are still going out and working in the darn cold (50s) wet rain and finding quite a few dead and dying soaking wet on the landing board and in front of the hives. Sad to watch them come in and crash upside down in the water on the landing boards and struggle or hit the side of the hive and drop to the ground. I added some paper towel bibs of a sort to wick water of the ramp and give better footing and it is helping quite a bit, but lost some bees over the last couple days to cold and wet.

Is what it is I guess  :sad:
Title: Re: Got a lesson in cold and wet
Post by: neillsayers on February 19, 2017, 04:17:37 pm
Wow Bill,

Guess they got a learning curve to go through. I would have guessed they would just stay home.
Title: Re: Got a lesson in cold and wet
Post by: Mikey N.C. on February 19, 2017, 04:43:57 pm
Ya, do have the back of boxes. Shimmed up for water shed ?
Title: Re: Got a lesson in cold and wet
Post by: Nugget Shooter on February 19, 2017, 04:47:38 pm
Yes sir nellsayers that was my thought, but both feral and Italians doing same though less bodies on the feral landings... Sun coming out a little finally and almost 3pm here and rain on and off and the critters are still working..... Like you folks always say "always learning" The mortality rate is not enough to throw me into panic mode even though a newbie, but sad....
Title: Re: Got a lesson in cold and wet
Post by: Nugget Shooter on February 19, 2017, 04:51:05 pm
Yes Mikey and screened bottoms (with closed slider) so no standing puddles in hives. Just an amazingly wet year with fluctuating temps during wet is my suspect.... Tomorrow will be back to 65 and partly cloudy  :yes:
Title: Re: Got a lesson in cold and wet
Post by: LazyBkpr on February 19, 2017, 08:33:15 pm
Well....  why aint you making little porch roofs for them yet?

  heheh... I had bees flying a LOT this winter. 45 degrees if the sun was shining my bees were flying. Today was 70, tomorrow upper 60's, tuesday forecast says 71... in February???   They are REALLY tearing through their stores... 

   I guess your poor bees could relate to bringing Perry down to your place in the first part of August..  He would die...
Title: Re: Got a lesson in cold and wet
Post by: Nugget Shooter on February 19, 2017, 08:53:28 pm
 :D :D :D :laugh: Do you have a good set of porch plans?
Title: Re: Got a lesson in cold and wet
Post by: Zweefer on February 19, 2017, 09:38:46 pm
Don't encourage him.  He'll make em.  For the record, I want them to have columns for the supports!
Title: Re: Got a lesson in cold and wet
Post by: riverbee on February 19, 2017, 09:46:28 pm
.............. :D  very,very true!............ :D :D :laugh:
Title: Re: Got a lesson in cold and wet
Post by: Nugget Shooter on February 20, 2017, 04:21:28 pm
Much different today since in the 70s and sunny, the dead have been hauled out and business as usual....
Title: Re: Got a lesson in cold and wet
Post by: Nugget Shooter on February 21, 2017, 10:17:59 am
I guess the good part of all this was that I was able to examine 30 or 40 freshly deceased bees for other issues and all were in good shape physically and none had mites.  :no: