Bees Out Flying at 1.4c

[East Yorks New Bee]

Its 1.4c and sunny here at minute and the bees are out collecting water, cleansing etc...

 

[Poly Hive]

Nice and black exhibiting some good traits.

PH

 

[Norm]

A time when a lot of bees perish! If they alight on a deeply cold surface they soon chill to the point where they can't use their flight muscles.

 

[RoofTops]

The lower bees looks very hairy which suggests they are quite young I think. First of the 2010 generation?

 

[Heather]

I was taught that bees cannot fly when temp less that 7d - but everything I see denies this- what it the true capability of the bees ability to use the flight muscles.
I have seen some settle onto snow by my hives - and there they stay unless I intervene and put them back to the entrance- and hope for their recovery (Finman don't laugh at me!!!)

 

[Firegazer]

-3 at the hive today and no sign of any flying.

Still new cappings appearing on the inspection board though so I'm not too worried. Might get the stethoscope out and listen in to the cluster tomorrow.

FG

 

[tonybloke]

is that a plastic QX I can see there?

 

[East Yorks New Bee]

A time when a lot of bees perish! If they alight on a deeply cold surface they soon chill to the point where they can't use their flight muscles.

Thats my biggest worry Norm and the temp here dropped like a stone a couple of hours after those pictures were taken, about 40 - 50 bees perished on the snow and lawn around the hives

is that a plastic QX I can see there?

It sure is, it has fondant on top of it, small eke and then crown board.

 

[Norm]

Thats my biggest worry Norm and the temp here dropped like a stone a couple of hours after those pictures were taken, about 40 - 50 bees perished on the snow and lawn around the hives

That's why I am a believer in landing boards! How many times have you seen bees not quite make the entrance. They are generating their own heat whilst flying but if they don't make the hive when they land they could be in trouble in such low temps.
If you collect those dead bees, put them in a matchbox, bring them indoors to room temperature they warm up and revive. Then take them back out and open the matchbox on the landing board and they are then warm enough to walk in and back up to the cluster.

 

[tonybloke]

It sure is, it has fondant on top of it, small eke and then crown board.

O I C.

didn't they store much away in the autumn?

 

[SixFooter]

On my allotment hive, quite a few bees seemed to be sunbathing on the sunny(Southish) side of the hive. Also a few flying in small spirals around the hive. Temp in the shade 4.5 c

 

[richardbees]

Norm,

"That's why I am a believer in landing boards"...I've removed mine because I kept going down and seeing some bees 'frozen' in place 2 inches from the entrance!

 

[East Yorks New Bee]

O I C.

didn't they store much away in the autumn?

Just a little present for the bees after putting oxalic acid on them. They seemed to have enough stores going into winter

 

[RoseCottage]

It was about 2 degrees today, dry, and sunny. There must have been about a hundred girls coming in and out of my hive today. I was amazed and really, really pleased.


I still have the 3 box config I mistakenly gave them in Autumn:
bottom super full of honey
brood chamber
top super full of honey.
I had a quick look in the top super to see if they had stores and they had lots. There were a lot of bees on them.

I must go back and watch the hive entrance to see if there are young fluffy bees.

On the landing board there were a lot of cappings and some 6 or so dead bees. I guess they are tidying up. There also seemed to be faeces too.

Looks like the girls are doing well so far.

Sam.

 

[Ewok]

There also seemed to be faeces too.
Sam.

I've just started seeing faeces on the hive & landing board.
Is this a sign of Noesma, is there anything I can do about it at this time?

 

[BKF Admin]

It could be a sign but I would think its just the cold weather.
A few bees may find it to cold to travel far,you sometimes find hives like that.

Wait until the spring and then check your combs for signs or better still collect up a few dead bees and use a microscope to check.

I can do it for you but Bcrazy is the expert and is often happy to test for members,shoot him a pm.

 

[Finman]

In first pic you see that 2 bees drink water.

 

[rae]

II've just started seeing faeces on the hive & landing board

That's nothing. Yesterday we took advantage of the sun to put a lump of fondant in the "light" hive....and the bees that came out poohed all over us.....

 

[cstroud]

Hi,
its worth remembering not to put a queen excluder on if you leave a super for the bees, the cluster has been known to move up and leave the poor queen down below- not good.

but I would have thought they would be ok with fondant- can't see much point leaving the excluder on though?

Chris

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Hi,
- can't see much point leaving the excluder on though?

Chris

I put a QX on the main brood area, then the fondant on the QX. It means the fondant is less prone to sagging down the frames.


I then fill the remaing void in the super/above the fondant with insualtion.