And we shall have snow!

[Heather]

Just thinking ahead- if/when it snows, please put some sunshade over the entrance to stop the sun reflecting beautiful bright light into the hive. The bees think Spring has arrived, come out to play- and die in the cold as they hit the white stuff..

No, I'm not talking umbrellas-before you start - but I drawing pin a strip of dark thick polythene above the entrance. Just nips a problem in the bud.

 

[Onge]

Won't the snow be over the entrance.

If not just leave it. I've never had a problem, it's too much mucking about.

 

[Oandy]

Just thinking ahead- if/when it snows, please put some sunshade over the entrance to stop the sun reflecting beautiful bright light into the hive. The bees think Spring has arrived, come out to play- and die in the cold as they hit the white stuff..

No, I'm not talking umbrellas-before you start - but I drawing pin a strip of dark thick polythene above the entrance. Just nips a problem in the bud.

 

[drstitson]

As posted here before I use high sided crownboards slotted onto my entrance porches - perfect fit (held in place by the folded edges of the metal porch roof) and leave the feeder hole for access if weather improves before removed.

"I've never had a problem, it's too much mucking about."

Have you not walked the pristine snow field in front of hives after a cold bright day? Lots of little black dots in a cone radiating out from the hive for at least 15m.

 

[Poly Hive]

If it snows put a shovel full over the entrance so they canna be tempted until the snow melts.

KISS

PH

 

[Cazza]

If not just leave it. I've never had a problem, it's too much mucking about.

It isn't much effort to stick a board over the entrance. I use old kitchen cabinet door fronts.

Cazza

 

[mazzamazda]

It is no way a waste of time, I had crazy losses last year whilst i was skiing for a week.

All hives survived thankfully but lessons learned.

Great well timed advice IMO

 

[Finman]

.
If it snows it snows. Bees are sick if they come out to die during snow.
I am not looking near hives what they do in their hives.

 

[Beezy]

Do the bees really get tricked into coming out when the snow reflects? That doesn't make sense to me as surely they must feel how cold it is, and what do bees do in the wild? Maybe the dead bees are ones that have been booted out as normal and they're just highlighted in the stark white...

 

[Heather]

The warmth of the sun on the hive and the bright light does entice them out.. and they die- PH is right- block them in- but if I am away sunning MYSELF , I don't take risks with the bees and provide shade .

Finman- is that how you treat ALL your women? Step out of line - - b....off!

And your comment- don't look near the hive what goes on in-- surely we teach before you look in the hive -watch behaviour outside- crawling bees, bees on back but alive, robbing- so many clues to what is going on inside....

 

[Cazza]

Do the bees really get tricked into coming out when the snow reflects? That doesn't make sense to me as surely they must feel how cold it is, and what do bees do in the wild? Maybe the dead bees are ones that have been booted out as normal and they're just highlighted in the stark white...

If you do provide shade, the number of dead bees are clearly reduced so I don't follow the logic that they are goners being booted out.
Cazza

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Has anyone actually observed this happening (i.e - seen a bee fly out of the hive and die a few yards away)?
Could it not simply be that on a seemingly bright day the bees may take the opportunity to do a bit of housekeeping and take the corpses of already-dead bees away?
Maybe it happens on other days but we don't notice because the snow is not there to show the contrast.
Just a thought

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Has anyone actually observed this happening (i.e - seen a bee fly out of the hive and die a few yards away)?

Yes - wide circle of 100 odd bees at varying yardages and degrees from the hive entrance in the snow. Would have needed undertaker bees with the boot of Pat Jennings to reach that distance

 

[Finman]

It may be -20C and bright sun shining and perhaps 20 bees come out and die on snow.

What then? Nothing. Why, I do not to know everything. It has no meaning.

In summer every day 1000-2000 bees die per hive somewhere there.
Are you going after?


If you have not snow in Uk, bees come out and die, but you do not see them.

 

[madasafish]

Waste of time.. get bees dying sun or snow...

 

[MuswellMetro]

Yes - wide circle of 100 odd bees at varying yardages and degrees from the hive entrance in the snow. Would have needed undertaker bees with the boot of Pat Jennings to reach that distance

Same effect, little black holes in the snow, very sad

i had a real problem last year as a beginner on my apairy site thought she was being helpful and cleared the snow from the entrances of all the hive in the apiary....not too pleased but repacked mine with snow

i think the reason why they come out is also due to polorization of light reflected off the snow

 

[Onge]

As posted here before I use high sided crownboards slotted onto my entrance porches - perfect fit (held in place by the folded edges of the metal porch roof) and leave the feeder hole for access if weather improves before removed.

"I've never had a problem, it's too much mucking about."

Have you not walked the pristine snow field in front of hives after a cold bright day? Lots of little black dots in a cone radiating out from the hive for at least 15m.

Yes I have and I have seen a dozen dead bees doted here and there.

This is normal.

Bees die all the time throughout the year.

 

[oliver90owner]

because the snow is not there to show the contrast.

Some, a lot, have compared bright but 'non sunny' days with bright and sunny. They know the difference. Same sort of temps, different effects on the bees.

Reflected light from snow is plane polarised to a certain extent and that may fool the bees into thinking the conditions are better.

I make sure reflections under (through) the OMF, as well as into the entrance are avoided. It is clear that the reflections and direct rays on the hive appear somewhat brighter than simply the direct rays alone.

 

[Finman]

.
How many days you have the snow? 10 days? And are they sunny days?

I have snow about 130 days. Sunny days are few.

Bees come out in winter even if they are covered or under snow.

If bees die on snow, before night major tits have cleared the snow. Tidy birds.

When bees are in cellar wintering and the place is totally dark, dead bees will cover the cellar floor before Spring.

 

[rockdoc]

Just out of interest last year, I brought some of the seemingly dead bees in front of the hive indoors from the snow. After about ten minutes most had returned to full working order. However the lid came off the jar and resulted in a not too happy wife as I chased my new pets around the study!