Winter Survival Of Your Colonies

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Nothing to learn from this guy in Britain. He lives in Canada Yukon, near Alaska border.

Canadians have thin wooden hives. Then they insulate hives in 4 hive bunch with insulation sac. They do not use insulated boxes or polyhives.

Yukon is a cold place. That I know. -40C temps are common.
 
You haven't watched the video then! He is insulating hives, he also has poly and he doesn't use top entrances. There is also a fair bit of science. The whole idea of the video is to change the mindset of those in warmer climates to change their attitude to insulation.
Do you have winter bee clusters in spheres or hemispheres?
 
You haven't watched the video then! He is insulating hives, he also has poly and he doesn't use top entrances. There is also a fair bit of science. The whole idea of the video is to change the mindset of those in warmer climates to change their attitude to insulation.
Do you have winter bee clusters in spheres or hemispheres?
It's probably worth watching but at nearly 2 hours .... not sure when I will get the time ! A synopsis, if you have managed to watch it all, would be great ...
 
Do you have winter bee clusters in spheres or hemispheres?

You are right, I haven't seen the video.
What does that sphere thing mean?

After 60 years beekeeping I think that I do not have anything to learn in wintering. In Finland you must learn wintering in couple of years or then you do not have bees. Varroa is its own story.

From Derec Mitchell theories I learned nothing.

In Finland we have quite good human house insulating theories. But beekeepers have lots of their own special theories too which stand on empty bottom.
 
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It has been huge amount of wintering discussion in this forum, correct or false. And what ever. Who can give something else to that discussion and does it help?
 
You are right, I haven't seen the video.
What does that sphere thing mean?

After 60 years beekeeping I think that I do not have anything to learn in wintering. In Finland you must learn wintering in couple of years or then you do not have bees. Varroa is its own story.

From Derec Mitchell theories I learned nothing.

In Finland we have quite good human house insulating theories. But beekeepers have lots of their own special theories too which stand on empty bottom.

....On the contrary, I think that many beekeepers have a very full bottom. ;)
.....
It's probably worth watching but at nearly 2 hours .... not sure when I will get the time ! A synopsis, if you have managed to watch it all, would be great ...

I've made a start on it over a cup of tea and five minutes in, Etienne is just introducing himself, but he already comes across as likeable and practical; I think he will have something useful to tell us. :)
 
I think he will have something useful to tell us. :)

It depends to whom it is usefull. Some know already and some few do not.

It is like making sugar syrup. Mere small talk because a human is a herd animal.

Many ask help to their hives, but they do not bother open their hives and look, what is going on there . Many have strong hives, which have 6 brood frames. And so on. Most of forum writings are not seriuous . It is mostly only herd communication.
 
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A categoric no BB.

From B. Mobus. Damp Condensation and Ventilation.

ln winter too, the beeway-sized passages between honey stores avoid speedy loss of warmth through upward motions of air. At all times bees actually seek out the most ‘comfortable’ , the warmest place of a hive, for wintering. When polystyrene insulation is experimentally placed above the crownboard the cluster will slowly migrate to the under-side of that board and will settle right between the solid slabs of honey where the warmth cannot escape because of top insulation. When two nucleus boxes are together under one roof, the two colonies will move to adjacent walls so as to benefit from the warmth of the neighbouring cluster while, on its own, each colony would consciously avoid contact with the chilly outside walls. ln hives made from insulating material (expanded polystyrene), the cluster snuggles up against outer walls. lt must therefore be obvious to even a
blind man that where bees normally form their winter cluster, right underneath the beeway-spaced honey stores, they will be in the ‘warmest’ part of the hive, even though it could be next to the entrance and next to the deepest frost. Protected by the beeway above, less warmth escapes than is commonly realised.

google the title and its all on my site.

PH
 
It's a wonder sometimes why you bother looking in here
You are right, I haven't seen the video.
What does that sphere thing mean?

After 60 years beekeeping I think that I do not have anything to learn in wintering. In Finland you must learn wintering in couple of years or then you do not have bees. Varroa is its own story.

From Derec Mitchell theories I learned nothing.

In Finland we have quite good human house insulating theories. But beekeepers have lots of their own special theories too which stand on empty bottom.
A beekeeper with nothing to learn :unsure: you are either arrogant or a fool which is it :confused: I am disapointed with myself for posting this retort but needs must :(
 
It's probably worth watching but at nearly 2 hours .... not sure when I will get the time ! A synopsis, if you have managed to watch it all, would be great ...
Etienne, takes single and double brood as well as nucs through winter. He doesn't use vivaldi boards or mountain camp sugar. He has noticed the downside to top entrances and has used wooden boards covering the lower entrances to stop bee flying out when the glare of the snow enters the hive. He has an engineering background and has used that taken from house insulation, scaling it down to a hive. Comparing wood to poly, loose cluster to tight cluster and the energy consumed. Turning 6 frame nucs into 5 by adding thin sheets of pine against the poly walls to avoid the condensation run off. He quotes Derek and R values and also uses fondant. Well worth a watch. He has a YT account. https://youtube.com/channel/UC-BMXy_Hxg_PF35VGPxgr1Q
 
The winter cluster, instead of the old books saying the cluster is in the shape of a rugby ball. Think of it as a cluster in the shape of a semi circle below the well insulated crownboard, also no top entrance.

I have seen what shape the winter cluster is. I do not need to teach to bees what it should bee.

Most of hives start to winter so that cluster is along the front wall. Bees can be seen in the first and second box front. I believe that they guard in autumn the entrances.

When I give oxalic acid in Nobember to the double brood colony, mostly I cannot see where the cluster is. I do nothing with that knowledge.

During winter the cluster moves from entrance to backwards. During mild winter days cluster expands and modify itself. Then in cold weather it restrict again. Part of bees go into the empty cells inside the cluster.

For the beekeeper it is not nevessary at all to know, what kind of cluster the hive has.
First of all, let the bees be in peace and do not disturb their winter rest.
 
Disappointing to read it too.

PH

It is your problem, not mine.
I am too many times disappointed about writings what I see in this forum. I hope that our feelings are in balance.

It is terrible to give some good advice and then it comes a guy who gives a controversy advice .Let's say for ecample oxalic acid trickling.
 

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