Spring Management in NS

[Perry]

Many folks wonder what one of the first things we do here in Nova Scotia in regards to our beekeeping season.
Here is a hint..............................
Find your hives!
This can be done with an upside down ground shovel, thrusting the handle into the snow in the area you believe you hives are. When the handle only goes a few feet and suddenly hits something, you have begun your beekeeping season in Nova Scotia!
Interesting to note that they almost always have an air pocket surrounding the entire hive where I assume the heat from the hive keeps snow melted away, like a little igloo. Once you find the air pocket, I found the easiest thing to do was clear off the top of the hive, then stand on it to clear away the south facing side to allow solar gain.
This yard I started yesterday and finished today.









These yards I did yesterday and you can see where they were out en mass cleansing.

[camero7]

We're getting rain - 47°F and snow is dropping quite nicely. Got into 2 yards yesterday. I must say I think buried in snow may help winter survival.

[Papakeith]

I think you may be right

[iddee]

I hope you put their nice warm blanket back on when you were done.          

[Perry]

It's sort of a darned if you do and darned if you don't situation. I like the fact that they were nice and tucked away like that, but we are talking the end of March here, and I would normally have put a pollen patty in there in March. They may have been warm, but if they run out of stores it won't matter. I found a starved out hive that I was trying to help through winter with fondant, but was too late this last time. I had topped it off in January when temps were decent but that was it.
Temps today hit 10 C (50 F) so any disruption shouldn't harm them (I hope). Everything got a fondant patty once I'd shoveled them off.

[Jen]

Fascinating story, so glad you got fondant on    I was wondering just how long can a hive of bees hold their poo? Crazy ~

[iddee]

I was just joking about shoveling it back after 10 hours or more of shoveling it away.     

[Perry]

I was just joking about shoveling it back after 10 hours or more of shoveling it away.     

Don't laugh, I actually thought about it! 

[Michelle]

Did you have snow shoes to get back to the hives? What a long walk thru that deep snow!!!!!!

[riverbee]

wow perry, looking forward to reading posts from you on how they wintered.......

and thanks for this comment because i wondered, never had mine totally buried, (close) but not like yours:

"Interesting to note that they almost always have an air pocket surrounding the entire hive where I assume the heat from the hive keeps snow melted away, like a little igloo. Once you find the air pocket"

[BoilerJim]

Hey Perry, why do you paint the sides of your covers bright yelow and orange? Is it to help find them in the deep snow?

[Barbarian]

Awesome pics.    You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din !

I would be interested to read of your survival rates and your inquest reports. The dead-out you found had starved and not apparently froze.

Are you going to train your dog to find buried hives ?

[camero7]

I was wondering just how long can a hive of bees hold their poo?

Many Canadian beeks house theirs inside for about 6 months before they get a cleansing flight.

[Perry]

As a matter of fact, I did borrow some snowshoes. 

[Bakersdozen]

Are you going to train your dog to find buried hives ?

Great idea!  Or, next year you can do like the road crews do, put tall stakes along side of your hives so you know where to plow.

Seriously Perry, can you tell us again how many pounds of honey you leave on your hives in the fall?

[Perry]

Sorry baker12, just picked up on this. Whatever food is in the bottom deep plus a full deep on top is "normal" for around here.