Keeping bees warm

[Les]

hi folks, I am very new to beekeeping.  As a matter of fact, my bees will be brought up from Georgia on 3/26.
My concern is that here in upstate NY we can't seem to break old man winter's icy cold.  This morning it was 10 degrees.  I am worried that my Georgia bees won't be able to withstand the cold nights.  I will be feeding them sugar water 1:1.  I had this crazy thought that if I placed a heated seedling mat under the screened bottom board that it might help to take the chill out of the super.  These mats usually maintain a 75-80 degrees.  Is this a stupid idea?  Any comments would be appreciated.

[pistolpete]

provided the cluster is large enough, bees have no trouble keeping warm at night.   Probably more important is to keep out drafts.  Reduce the opening to about 1" wide and seal any gaps  in the wood work with duct tape until the bees have had a chance to propolise things.  If the screened bottom board is open (as in stuff drops to the ground below) then it's probably not the right piece of equipment to have on this time of year. 

Having said that, you're not the first to think of it and a few bee keepers do "heat" their hives.  I'm only willing to coddle my bees so much.  They make it through five months of freezing nights no problem.

[Perry]

Hey Les, I see this was your first post.
Glad you found us.

[kebee]

 Want to welcome you Les to the forum, hope you learn what you want from here and I would go with what pistolpete said.

Ken

[CpnObvious]

Welcome to the forum, Les!

I'm in North-Central MA, so I'm still battling the cold, too.  Last year was, for all intents and purposes, my first year.  My bees didn't come until Memorial Day weekend, WAY later than they were supposed to.

Anyway, I would agree with keeping the draft out and avoid using a screened bottom board.

More experienced cold-weather beeks will hopefully chime in on this, but I immediately had a few thoughts about feeding:

1) Are you using all new foundation?

2) With the current temperatures, I'm not sure they'll take the cold syrup.  Maybe have two feeding jars (and top-feed, with a hive-body around it).  Keep one jar inside over night and swap them each morning.  If the syrup is too cold, they won't take it.

3) I would recommend feeding 2:1 until all your foundation is drawn.  Using 1:1 syrup will force them to have to dehydrate it that much more.  One of the beeks on here had said they ONLY feed 2:1.  I think I'm going to always do the same, but I may do some testing on that as my apiaries expand.  I started with 3 hives last year, but due to queen issues, I had to combine one into the other two as we headed into winter.   I hope to split and may catch swarms this year.

Good luck!

[riverbee]

welcome to the forum les!

are these package bees that you will have to hive les?
on foundation or any drawn comb?
not sure that i would use the mat, and i would use a solid bottom board rather than a screened bottom board
with your temps (10 d f) bees aren't going to be taking any syrup, they will be clustering.

[camero7]

I'd put sugar blocks on them or dampen some sugar - put it between some wax paper. Bees will starve on cold foundation without carbs. IMO it's too early for packages up here. Mine are coming the last of May. That's plenty early, flow will be on, warmer nights and brood won't get chilled. And mine go on drawn comb.

[Les]

Thank you all for the warm welcome.  My plan with feeding them, was to warm the nectar and swap it out twice a day.  Now I am thinking that I would be opening the hive twice a day and that might not be a good thing because the more you open the hive, the more cold gets in.  To answer your questions, there is no comb in the hive.....this is a brand new set up.  I am using wax foundations. So many options, I am getting confused. . Guess I am heading to the bee supply store and purchasing solid bottom boards. 

[CpnObvious]

Guess I am heading to the bee supply store and purchasing solid bottom boards.

Les,

If you already have screen bottom boards, depending on their design, you may be able to just put a piece of plywood or solid scrap material under them until it warms up.

If you have an extra hive body, you can still swap out the jars.  From the bottom up:
1 - bottom board
2 - you deep (or medium) super for brood.  I wouldn't start with 2 in place.
3 - inner cover (place the feed jar over the opening in it)
4 - deep (or medium) super.  This will simply enclose the feed jar.  No frames in this one.
5 - outer/telescoping cover

Bees heat their cluster, not the hive.  I would think that the slight disturbance to QUICKLY swap out jars would not be a problem.  Again, I don't have 1/4 the experience many beeks on this forum have... They may offer a better suggestion... Such as the fondant or sugar suggestion earlier.

[Jen]

Cpn- "If you already have screen bottom boards, depending on their design, you may be able to just put a piece of plywood or solid scrap material under them until it warms up.

    This is what I do with my screened bottom boards in the winter. It's pretty easy to find a stray piece of foam rubber that you can tuck into the openings underneith the edge of the bottom board. You can also find foam rubber in the craft section Walmart or store the like.

Something like this

[Les]

This is exactly what we decided to after some discussion.  Additionally, we are going to put up a wind break around the hives and tape up as many cracks as possible, use an entrance reducer and keep our fingers crossed. Spring in the Hudson Valley of NY is never a slow process.  We usually go from freezing to the 70's.  Never a nice slow warming.  We hope this will be the case once Old Man Winter lessens his grip.  I planted lots of crocuses last fall and I am fortunate that we have a vacant lot next to us loaded with Black Locust trees which I understand the bees love.  So here's hoping for nectar flow ASAP.

[Jen]

I'll just betcha everything will turn out fine 

[riverbee]

"I'd put sugar blocks on them or dampen some sugar - put it between some wax paper. Bees will starve on cold foundation without carbs. IMO it's too early for packages up here. Mine are coming the last of May. That's plenty early, flow will be on, warmer nights and brood won't get chilled. And mine go on drawn comb. "

i would agree with what camero7 said. les, i do not know what your temps are, but hiving package bees on bare foundation in cold weather they may starve, syrup on or not.  they won't break a cluster if it's too cold to take the syrup. there was another member here that posted about hiving package bees on foundation in cool weather, the thread is here:

Package Bees Dead after 10 days

also:
Package Bees MAAREC
the 2nd paragraph:

"You should order packages in January or February to ensure timely delivery in early spring (April). If you are installing packages on drawn combs containing honey and pollen, you can do so in early April; if you are installing them on comb foundation, then you should order them to arrive in late April or early May. Beekeepers in northern areas may wish to delay shipments for a couple of weeks. Package bees could die if installed on foundation in temperatures below 57°F (14°C) because too few bees will be able to break cluster and move to syrup feeders. Bees clustered on combs of honey, on the other hand, do not have to break cluster in order to eat."

if your temps are too cold to put syrup on, i would consider camero7's suggestion, and directly above the bees.

[Les]

Too late now, my suppliers are on their way to Georgia as I write this and the bees will be driven back in a climate controlled vehicle and returning on 3/26.  Here is a real stretch in thought.....could I keep them in a garage and feed them nectar?

[Jen]

Les, do you mean sugar syrup?

[Ray]

How about leaving them in the package, in your garage.
The only problem with it is.... sometimes the sugar syrup can isn't properly pierced. You might be able to swap out the syrup can for a  mason jar feeder with a piece of hardware cloth in between the feeder and the top of the package.

[efmesch]

 Considering all the good advice flying around here, I would say this is an example of where Les has more. 

I'm afraid I can't improve on the advice, but I can join in the chorus: "Welcome to the forum Les"   

[iddee]

 CpnObvious said it well, but I would add....

Screen the entrance and the hole in the inner cover with 1/8 in. hardware cloth and put them in a heated room, approx. 60 degrees Fahrenheit until the outside temp gets to the 50's F. Then move them out and open the entrance. By then, they should have enough drawn comb and stores to make it, but keep feeding until they have nectar coming in.

[Les]

Iddee,
  I think we are going to take your suggestion and keep them hog tied in the garage.  We truly would be so unhappy to lose two hives of bees on our first attempt.  Jen, I did mean to write sugar water not nectar.  One thing about tackling this beekeeping project is getting the terminology correct LOL. However, we are getting there and thankfully we found a local bee group with many knowledgable and experienced folks.  Our group leader has said, "ask 10 beekeepers a question and you will get 10 different answers.  Wish us luck and I am feeling the good wishes.  So glad I found this group.
Les

[pistolpete]

Normally if you ask 10 bee keepers, you'll get at least 15 answers   Bee keeping is regional.  What works for me in Canada and what works for someone in florida, will most likely not work quite as well for you. Having local mentors is very very important.