Author Topic: First check this year  (Read 24547 times)

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Offline iddee

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First check this year
« on: February 02, 2014, 02:33:50 pm »
Checked my 3 hives and one I'm baby sitting for the winter. All have deep frames of honey fully capped, open and capped brood, eggs and pollen. All four totally ready for spring. Maples starting to bloom and fresh pollen and nectar in all hives. Couldn't ask for any better.

Even saw two of the queens.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
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Offline blueblood

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2014, 02:56:15 pm »
Jealous.  We aren't even close.  Lot of winter left here.

Offline Perry

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2014, 04:08:11 pm »
Jealous.  We aren't even close.  Lot of winter left here.

 :yah: :agree: :'(
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Offline G3farms

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2014, 04:23:42 pm »
Not been in mine that deep but have been doing some lid lifting.
Bees are bees and do as they please!

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Offline Papakeith

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2014, 04:32:24 pm »
looked in on mine today.  three more dead :sad:
I'm starting to think that the bees are keeping me...

Offline Perry

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2014, 04:54:00 pm »
Bummer Keith.  :sad:
Any idea why?
"It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor."      
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Offline Papakeith

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2014, 04:57:11 pm »
I want to say the latest cold snap got them. 
Why it got them I don't know.  Many of the dead we're head first in the comb.  Possibly not enough ventilation and condensation got them?  I dunno
I'm starting to think that the bees are keeping me...

Offline riverbee

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2014, 05:09:29 pm »
"Many of the dead we're head first in the comb."

starvation?  how were the honey stores?

ps iddee, like all northern keeps, a looooong ways off.....
i keep wild things in a box..........™
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Offline Jen

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2014, 05:37:53 pm »
""Many of the dead we're head first in the comb.""

That's what I was thinking riv
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Offline Papakeith

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2014, 06:23:35 pm »
"Many of the dead we're head first in the comb."

starvation?  how were the honey stores?

ps iddee, like all northern keeps, a looooong ways off.....
All three hives had multiple frames of honey left.  Just not where they were
I'm starting to think that the bees are keeping me...

Offline riverbee

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #10 on: February 02, 2014, 06:32:20 pm »
"All three hives had multiple frames of honey left.  Just not where they were"

cold starvation is what i call it, bees with head in cells, big clump on the frames, with many fallen beneath the cluster, and on the bottom board, with frames of honey frames over on either side?

so, cold starvation i describe as this; weather so cold, with no let up, that the bees don't move to the honey stores in the frames nearby.
i keep wild things in a box..........™
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Offline Perry

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #11 on: February 02, 2014, 06:32:49 pm »
Cold starved. They used up what they had where they were, and it didn't warm up enough for them to break cluster and shift onto stores. Sad.
Can't control the weather.  :sad:
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Offline Perry

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #12 on: February 02, 2014, 06:33:45 pm »
29 seconds, dang it river!  :D
"It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor."      
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Offline riverbee

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2014, 06:38:13 pm »
well perry, at least this time we are on the same page and thinking the same.....or what was it one time?  in step, not outta step......so doing the same dance?!.. :D
i keep wild things in a box..........™
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Offline Slowmodem

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #14 on: February 02, 2014, 07:34:10 pm »
All three hives had multiple frames of honey left.  Just not where they were

Yep.  That's what happened to me last year.  Here it got warm then turned really cold and I think they couldn't get the cluster to the food.
Greg Whitehead
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Offline Perry

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #15 on: February 02, 2014, 07:45:04 pm »
This is why (up until this year), I always put a thick patty of fondant right over the inner cover hole. I always have this feeling that the bees work their way up the middle, and then chose a side to go to with the stores. I then worry that they will get caught out on that side during a cold snap and not make it across the hive. I felt that with the fondant right in the middle they could always count on it for travel back and forth. This year is the first in a while that I don't have it on all my hives. I have patties on maybe a dozen of the 51. For the most part they were heavy so I only threw some on the ones I thought could use it. It's saved 4 of my nucs so far.
We can do everything we think of and sometimes it's just not going to work out.
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Offline Jen

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #16 on: February 02, 2014, 09:22:08 pm »
Perry- I posted in 'feeding winter patties' already today. But two weeks ago I put a winter pattie in my hive. Got a 50 day today so took a peek, and IT'S GONE! paper and all.

I had no idea they would consume it that quickly. Glad I checked and had another one on hand. Gonna take a stab at making my own next week.
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Offline riverbee

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #17 on: February 02, 2014, 09:46:20 pm »
jen that will tell you your bees are very low on stores, or none at all. for me when i use them, they last a month or better in the winter on a double deep hive.
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Offline iddee

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #18 on: February 02, 2014, 09:47:53 pm »
They have started brooding. They can starve in 2 or 3 days if they run out. You have to keep it on them daily now.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
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Offline Papakeith

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Re: First check this year
« Reply #19 on: February 02, 2014, 10:03:24 pm »
I had feed on all of these hives.  They never got (or went) to it.
I'm starting to think that the bees are keeping me...