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Try to understand - low solar activity means few sunspots, not a drop in temperature, and certainly no effect on our weather.

If you want this discussion start a new thread in the pesticides political environmental forum and I'll happily take scientific tuition from you.

In the mean time this post is about relaying observations which suggest we may have a colder longer 'winter' by which I guess I mean longer feeding requirement.
 
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Thanks.

But if its a record of activity, then I suppose you are providing the forecast ;)

I guess. More a question of interpreting trends I would venture. So solar activity is suppressed meaning the sun is giving off less high/extreme energy radiation which affects the higher atmosphere causing it to cool and contract resulting in more precipitation. So for example, the Greenland ice sheet has amassed nearly 400 billion more tons of ice compared to 2012 with over 12 billion tons being dumped in one day alone. Not in winter but at the end of May which is unprecedented. The Antarctic ice sheet is also significantly greater than at any time since 1980 and there have been multiple records broken for the coldest recorded temperatures (albeit that I don't put as much store into temperatures because they are more weather than climate).
Whats to say solar activity wont flare up tmr?
My understanding is that that is not how the sun works. Solar activity is a function of what heliophysicists call the sun's dynamo which in lay terms is a bit like a fly wheel which takes time to speed up and time to slow down and doesn't stop suddenly so sun spot activity trends upwards or downwards. At the moment sunspots are zero and have been for much of the past three years.

So to cut a long story short, I've just been observing trends which point to a reasonable risk of protracted winters which if it happens will affect bees and therefore beekeepers.
 
Ah I thought you meant the OP as Karol posts quite a few of these dissertations on solar minima and maxima
To be fair, I try to keep those posts in the pesticides, political and environmental forum. As I recall there are a few beekeepers who were caught out this year because of the need to extend feeding because of unseasonally cold weather.
 
I guess. More a question of interpreting trends I would venture. So solar activity is suppressed meaning the sun is giving off less high/extreme energy radiation which affects the higher atmosphere causing it to cool and contract resulting in more precipitation. So for example, the Greenland ice sheet has amassed nearly 400 billion more tons of ice compared to 2012 with over 12 billion tons being dumped in one day alone. Not in winter but at the end of May which is unprecedented. The Antarctic ice sheet is also significantly greater than at any time since 1980 and there have been multiple records broken for the coldest recorded temperatures (albeit that I don't put as much store into temperatures because they are more weather than climate).

My understanding is that that is not how the sun works. Solar activity is a function of what heliophysicists call the sun's dynamo which in lay terms is a bit like a fly wheel which takes time to speed up and time to slow down and doesn't stop suddenly so sun spot activity trends upwards or downwards. At the moment sunspots are zero and have been for much of the past three years.

So to cut a long story short, I've just been observing trends which point to a reasonable risk of protracted winters which if it happens will affect bees and therefore beekeepers.

Interesting stuff, thanks for taking the time to explain.
 
Im very fortunate to have a good selection of winder forage here....
Good warm melted chocolate and blend of dissolved sweets. available 24 / 7 / 365
pen choc.jpg
Couple of tons of slow moving syrup at least once a month
pen syrup.jpg
Old fashion assortment... Every day - All day
pen smaert.jpg
This is what my "quarantined" colonies have access to.... They seem to do just fine through the colder months....
Honey produced on the other hand.... Really really sweet - scratchy sweet but seems to kick start wild caught swarms into drawing comb....
 
Im very fortunate to have a good selection of winder forage here....
Good warm melted chocolate and blend of dissolved sweets. available 24 / 7 / 365
View attachment 27847
Couple of tons of slow moving syrup at least once a month
View attachment 27848
Old fashion assortment... Every day - All day
View attachment 27849
This is what my "quarantined" colonies have access to.... They seem to do just fine through the colder months....
Honey produced on the other hand.... Really really sweet - scratchy sweet but seems to kick start wild caught swarms into drawing comb....
Reckon that lot would kick start almost anything with a mouth :)
 
I guess. More a question of interpreting trends I would venture. So solar activity is suppressed meaning the sun is giving off less high/extreme energy radiation which affects the higher atmosphere causing it to cool and contract resulting in more precipitation. So for example, the Greenland ice sheet has amassed nearly 400 billion more tons of ice compared to 2012 with over 12 billion tons being dumped in one day alone. Not in winter but at the end of May which is unprecedented. The Antarctic ice sheet is also significantly greater than at any time since 1980 and there have been multiple records broken for the coldest recorded temperatures (albeit that I don't put as much store into temperatures because they are more weather than climate).

My understanding is that that is not how the sun works. Solar activity is a function of what heliophysicists call the sun's dynamo which in lay terms is a bit like a fly wheel which takes time to speed up and time to slow down and doesn't stop suddenly so sun spot activity trends upwards or downwards. At the moment sunspots are zero and have been for much of the past three years.

So to cut a long story short, I've just been observing trends which point to a reasonable risk of protracted winters which if it happens will affect bees and therefore beekeepers.
If the ice sheets are growing as you state, why does the U.N. say we are in a state of “red alert“ for sea level rise as ice sheets are melting?
 
If the ice sheets are growing as you state, why does the U.N. say we are in a state of “red alert“ for sea level rise as ice sheets are melting?
If you don't mind Poot I'll answer your question in the irradiance thread under the stairs.
 
I guess. More a question of interpreting trends I would venture. So solar activity is suppressed meaning the sun is giving off less high/extreme energy radiation which affects the higher atmosphere causing it to cool and contract resulting in more precipitation. So for example, the Greenland ice sheet has amassed nearly 400 billion more tons of ice compared to 2012 with over 12 billion tons being dumped in one day alone. Not in winter but at the end of May which is unprecedented. The Antarctic ice sheet is also significantly greater than at any time since 1980 and there have been multiple records broken for the coldest recorded temperatures (albeit that I don't put as much store into temperatures because they are more weather than climate).

My understanding is that that is not how the sun works. Solar activity is a function of what heliophysicists call the sun's dynamo which in lay terms is a bit like a fly wheel which takes time to speed up and time to slow down and doesn't stop suddenly so sun spot activity trends upwards or downwards. At the moment sunspots are zero and have been for much of the past three years.

So to cut a long story short, I've just been observing trends which point to a reasonable risk of protracted winters which if it happens will affect bees and therefore beekeepers.
I think these posts illustrate nicely that a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
 
I think these posts illustrate nicely that a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
So what are you advocating for the winter period beebopper? You presumably have better advice to give regarding winter preparations?

I'll make the point again. July 2020 I raised the prospect of a colder winter than normal inviting forum members to consider their winter preparations. For the record, winter and spring 2021 were below the 1980-2010 average which caught out a number of beekeepers.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/summaries/index
I fail to see the danger of such a heads up. The worst that can happen is any contigent feed excess to requirement being used the following year. Far less dangerous than bees starving I would venture.
 
Strange, my recollections of last winter was milder weather than usual, very few hard frosty mornings and taking off loads of frames of unneeded stores in the spring to be used for nuc feeding and emergency feed during the June gap.
In fact, not once did I need to take my heavy winter coat out of the cupboard.
 
Strange, my recollections of last winter was milder weather than usual, very few hard frosty mornings and taking off loads of frames of unneeded stores in the spring to be used for nuc feeding and emergency feed during the June gap.
In fact, not once did I need to take my heavy winter coat out of the cupboard.
People will soon be suggesting you live in the Vale of Hot Air ...
 
Can we just agree that we can't be sure what the winter will be like, it's good husbandry to prepare the bees well and to make sure we're well stocked on supplies in advance as to fail to prepare is to prepare to fail.

Sugar prices may rise based on yields this year so it's worth stocking up now if you have Yorkshire/Scottish inclinations towards money. If you buy more sugar than you need, it will keep for future years or you can just make jams/alcohol etc. in the spring if you've (planned ahead and) frozen some of this season's fairly decent fruit crop- if you need to feed the sugar to the bees rather than having spare then you get to make fruit pies/crumbles instead, which will be lovely on a cold evening. Win-win...
 
Does anyone feed fondant instead of sugar syrup. Just wondering as I have 15kg of it and it would be good to use up.
 
I keep several boxes for feeding or emergencies and restock when down to the last couple, it keeps well if not opened but once opened does dry out a bit.
 

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