Bees clustering under crown board

[Finman]

.
I just told you. Just experience.

 

[fatshark]

Fatshark is that colony on one and a half? More to the point is has it been hefted recently?

They're on a standard single BB and are still reassuringly heavy. Hivemaker and Finman are correct, you can just about see the capped stores in the picture. When I added the OA I looked closely between the frames and it seems as though the colony is not simply occupying a 2cm deep 'pancake'.

I've never claimed there is no moisture in the hive, just that condensation does not seem to be a problem under well-insulated perspex CB's. All the hives have an OMF and no top ventilation.

I'll keep a watching brief on the wood rotting. We have woodpecker problems at this apiary and a mesh cage is planned for the future.

 

[Finman]

I'll keep a watching brief on the wood rotting. We have woodpecker problems at this apiary and a mesh cage is planned for the future.

Thanks to listen to me.

If you put some wood stick between outer wall and plastic sheet, it makes a ventilated gap. So plastic is not directly agaist the wood.

 

[Finman]

All the hives have an OMF and no top ventilation.

.

If you have OMF, don't use upper ventilation hole.

 

[Moggs]

Here are some of my bees. They look OK to me under the circumstances! OK, I did have a listen (with a stick as a stethoscope to my ear). A reassuring faint hum. I didn't knock, tap, open, prod, or otherwise mess them about. If my preparations in autumn were good and if Finman's bees can tough it out to minus silly degrees C, then this lot should be nicely tucked-up against the bit of a chill that we're having here!

Yes, it is a concern as a first-winter beek - but if things aren't good, what can I do now, apart from making the situation worse? If it gets warm enough, I will learn more at the time of OA treatment but that won't happen for a few days yet.

 

[Finman]

and if Finman's bees can tough it out to minus silly degrees C, .

I have wintered bees 48 years. Don't worry about me. I have paid about my lessons.

 

[Meg]

Moggs, Long may your beekeeping stay so neat and tidy!

No sarcasm intended - I wish mine was as well kept. Fingers crossed mine are more or less protected from woodpeckers, but nore quite so tidily...

 

[Moggs]

Of course Finman - your situation only cited as an example of why we shouldn't worry too much over here! I bet ours haven't even put their wooly hats on yet, by comparison!

 

[Moggs]

Thank you Meg. Only through this forum...

 

[Finman]

Of course Finman - your situation only cited as an example of why we shouldn't worry too much over here! I bet ours haven't even put their wooly hats on yet, by comparison!

One hive owners are allways right! I cannot bet them.

 

[Hughesie]

Moggs , In the photos it looks like you have a super on the bottom , can you explain

 

[Moggs]

Hi Hughesie - I was waiting for that! Well spotted.

I'm changing to 14 x 12 next year for more brood space. The idea chewed away at me for a while into the autumn. With fears of a savage winter (a good call as it happens!) I added 'supers' at the bottom primarily for the following reasons:

• more space for stores/ (and brood in the unlikely event that she needed it) going into winter (the supers were fitted out with empty drawn comb)
• Elevate the BB away from the OMF floor (heat rises)
• Bees naturally work uphill
• Isolate the BB away from any wind chill

There are advantages and disadvantages of course (one disadvantage being the fun and games when I come to split them again).

However, I'm pleased that I did this as I would be feeling distinctly more uncomfortable on standard BB with OMF in these conditions.

I will certainly change to 14 x 12 as I can clearly see the benefits over standard National boxes.

 

[Black Comb]

Moggs , In the photos it looks like you have a super on the bottom , can you explain

Hughesie

Super on bottom is standard practice for some. Been discussed on here quite a few times. One of my mentors had done this for years and I've done the same with my nationals for the past 2 years. Bees seem to nip down for a feed when they need to. No queen excluder (of course). In the spring the queen moves up top lay so if you take it off at the correct time (i.e before she starts laying in it but after new food coming in) then no problems.

Some also put an empty super under OMF to give some protection from draughts.

Hope this helps.

 

[Moggs]

Thank you Peter

 

[Finman]

It is more flexible to nurse the hive if boath boxes are same size.

 

[Vergilius]

Question to those who over-winter with a super below a brood box...

Do you keep them as a 1 1/2 brood in the summer?

Ben P

 

[Black Comb]

Not me.
P.I.A.

 

[Moggs]

Though theses are my hives, I don't. Temporary measure, as indicated, pending plans for a 14 x 12 changeover (which will be a challenge in itself).

 

[Vergilius]

Peter S,
Do you feed yours? If so, do you not get a problem of "sugar syrup honey" stored in the super when it comes to extraction? Or do you make sure that all the stores have been eaten when you remove the super?

Ben P

 

[Liam C Ryan]

Lots of bees flying

Good to see lots of bees flying today in all my hives after temps of -16. Opened my week nuc and gave them 1.5 kgs fondant . Temp. today 11c.