Author Topic: Winter losses so far, How's yours?? (Read 18975 times)

Bakersdozen · « **Reply #40 on:** February 07, 2015, 05:59:53 pm »

As luck would have it, off from work and 65+ degrees today. Life is good. I have been waiting for this to check the country hives. My 3 hives + the niece's hive are all doing great. I'm a little concerned over one hive that was a package that I didn't received until June. I don't think there is a large colony in there and there was still fondant from my last trip out there. I have to assume they have plenty of stored honey for their needs. I see a definite split in one colony's future.

So, my only losses, thus far, are two colonies in the back yard. The first went with the November cold snap for unknown reasons and the second got it's self huddled in the front of the hive body and were unable to reach the food stores that were in there back in December.

tecumseh · « **Reply #41 on:** February 07, 2015, 07:11:04 pm »

have not even started to count yet. I do know I lost a couple of small late fall nucs since I was not able to feed them. On or about Feb 28 we will have a large group of students from the bee club that will mass here and whatever is out there will make for a good learning experience < it is strange that the best learning opportunity occurs when a hive is dead. Dr Rangels bees at the bee lab are in good hands since the students there are quite willing and able and the young lady we recruited from Wisconsin as a graduate student is quite an accomplished beekeeper when she got here < this has certainly made me giving instruction via the phone much much easier.

tbonekel · « **Reply #42 on:** February 07, 2015, 07:53:02 pm »

So far, I still have five out of five. Not sure of the health of two, single deep colonies, but there are bees present. Hope to find out more soon.

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #43 on:** February 07, 2015, 11:58:46 pm »

From now to April (in my area) is when hives are building up and burning through there stores feeding brood and there selves. Like today 74F (broke the 1937 record) and every hive was out looking for anything and they were bringing in pollen? (probably from dead aster bushes), but nothing in bloom so they will be hungry. Most of next week will be in mid 60F's and upper 50F's then back down Thursday to high of 37F.

The warm temp will spur the queen to laying and when the temp gos to 50F. and 30F's at night the cluster (smaller now) will stay with the brood and not move to stores, if the temp. stay's low and starve. I already had this happen on some hives, i lift them and they felt heavy and on a warm day in mid. 60F's, there was to much action on some of them (3 of them) so i looked inside and they were deadouts being robed. Don't want to scare anyone,but it happens.

Jack

Barbarian · « **Reply #44 on:** February 08, 2015, 01:53:25 am »

Thanks for the posts .... Jack

Your deadouts would appear to have stores remaining. When you checked the deadouts did you have any clues as to cause of death ?

camero7 · « **Reply #45 on:** February 08, 2015, 08:04:04 am »

No robbing here! Hives are buried in 4' of snow and sub-zero temps.

kebee · « **Reply #46 on:** February 08, 2015, 08:43:04 am »

Still have both hive blooming with bees out and about all the time and I keep the robbing screen on all the time from late summer when flow stops or slows down, they love to rob, will take off when flow begins in spring.

Ken

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #47 on:** February 08, 2015, 08:45:38 am »

Barbarian, They starved because they wouldnt leave the brood when it got cold.. so they stayed with the brood where they could not reach the honey.
this is in fact a fear I am carrying about with the crazy temps.. it will be late April before that fear begins to fade for me.. so three months of worry left...

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #48 on:** February 08, 2015, 09:57:49 am »

What Scott said Barbarian, Those were in my outyards (60 miles from home) i noticed more bees going in than leaving in both the top and bottom entrances, zig zaging waiting for there turn to enter

, a dead give away, also seen bees going back and forth from a near by hive, also a sign what was going on. I'm thinking about making up several robber screens for this coming late summer and next winter for the outyards to see if that helps. Jack

Perry · « **Reply #49 on:** February 08, 2015, 10:13:23 am »

Not so much robbing I'm worried about, but getting cold starved cause of brood is a major concern for me right now.

tbonekel · « **Reply #50 on:** February 08, 2015, 10:27:04 am »

How long can bees usually survive clustered and not able to reach food?

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #51 on:** February 08, 2015, 11:49:03 am »

I have never gave that a thought? My guess would be 3 days? this is only a guess, but if they don't eat, it would seem to me they couldn't generate enough body heat to keep the brood warm or there self and freeze. JMHO. Jack

Perry · « **Reply #52 on:** February 08, 2015, 12:29:03 pm »

I think that I would agree with Jack..........................Geeez, that just sounds soooo weird!

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #53 on:** February 08, 2015, 02:09:33 pm »

LOL agreeing with Jack isnt all that hard once you have done it a time or two!

tecumseh · « **Reply #54 on:** February 08, 2015, 04:11:19 pm »

according to the book tbonekel Jack is correct. the time I recall is 72 hours or exactly 3 days.

Barbarian · « **Reply #55 on:** February 08, 2015, 04:44:23 pm »

In the UK, the term "isolation starvation" is used to describe when the cluster dies because it will not move across to frames of stores.

Some beeks prepare the hive for winter by having all the frames of stores on one side. The frames of bees/brood comes next. The theory is that the cluster will only move in one direction over the frames of stores. I've never tried it so can't comment.

G3farms · « **Reply #56 on:** February 08, 2015, 04:54:30 pm »

So far 4 for 16 and the one nuc is still strong.

Have been sitting out some "cut out" comb that has been in the freezer and they are finding it.

Zweefer · « **Reply #57 on:** February 08, 2015, 05:30:22 pm »

Just checked, and I think I've lost both of them :'(
Had one i was unsure of a couple of weeks ago, but one could clearly be heard still. today... nothing.
Ordered two packages at our beekeepers association today to replace. worst case scenario, i need to build some supers quick.

tbonekel · « **Reply #58 on:** February 08, 2015, 07:25:10 pm »

Sorry, Zweefer. Tough break. Hang in there.

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #59 on:** February 08, 2015, 08:32:58 pm »

I had to go get my glasses

to make sure i read that some of you agreed with me

. Hmmm, okay what are you'uns up to.

Jack