Cappings

[Swarm]

I've never understood the logic behind 'keeping the bees cold'; to me, clustering and heating the cluster are survival strategies. We are told that their natural homes - hollows in trees - are much better insulated than the thin wooden walls we give them. We hear a lot about starved colonies dying over winter despite having plenty of stores - especially from the Northern Americans. If they're too cold to move then, to me and given that they don't hibernate, they're too cold, full stop.

Take a look at a couple of videos by Ian Steppler bringing his bees in for winter, digging through snow to find the hives and the bees gathered at the entrances peeping out.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes that always makes me smile. All those little faces
Snow is a good insulator.
Do many beekeepers have that much snow for many months of the year in the U.K.?

 

[Brewer24]

“Tremendous” is a rather subjective rem. Many are prone to exaggeration.

‘Closing the door after the horse has bolted’ comes to mind. IF the drop is tremendous, the winter bees have already been compromised. Fingers crossed (can’t do anything more) that they survive the winter, let alone as (what I call) a strong colony in the spring.

As we are not really aware of the actual situation, this thread is a bit of a non-topic , in my book. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Many thanks for positive (not very) comments oliver90owner.
Just READ the query which has nothing to do with treatments and without the need for dumb comments about horses. But to do with the pattern of fallen cappings and on the rate of stores being eaten during this unseasonal mild weather. If this a non-topic then this forum may as well close! Only one reply has been relevant to this query and helpful. The rest have been off target, with yours being off target, cynical and not at all helpful!
Merry Christmas and I hope you get your horse back!

“Tremendous” is a rather subjective rem. Many are prone to exaggeration.

‘Closing the door after the horse has bolted’ comes to mind. IF the drop is tremendous, the winter bees have already been compromised. Fingers crossed (can’t do anything more) that they survive the winter, let alone as (what I call) a strong colony in the spring.

As we are not really aware of the actual situation, this thread is a bit of a non-topic , in my book. Nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Many thanks for positive (not very) comments oliver90owner.
Just READ the query which has nothing to do with treatments and without the need for dumb comments about horses. But to do with the pattern of fallen cappings and on the rate of stores being eaten during this unseasonal mild weather. If this a non-topic then this forum may as well close! Only one reply has been relevant to this query and helpful. The rest have been off target, with yours being off target, cynical and not at all helpful!
Merry Christmas and I hope you get your horse back!

Wow that's a closed mind response if I ever read one. "Only one reply has been relevant to this query and helpful. The rest have been off target, with yours being off target, cynical and not at all helpful!"
Open forum discussions invariably diverge but not at all helpful is an arrogant approach to those who contributed.

 

[user 20297]

Many thanks for positive (not very) comments oliver90owner.
Just READ the query which has nothing to do with treatments and without the need for dumb comments about horses. But to do with the pattern of fallen cappings and on the rate of stores being eaten during this unseasonal mild weather. If this a non-topic then this forum may as well close! Only one reply has been relevant to this query and helpful. The rest have been off target, with yours being off target, cynical and not at all helpful!
Merry Christmas and I hope you get your horse back!

It's unfair of you, as a result of one person's unhelpful post, to be so critical of all of the other people who have made oblique or slightly indirect contributions to this thread, . It's rare to get a direct and unequivocal answer to a request on this forum....that's just the nature of beekeeping. So, in your shoes, I would be very grateful for the responses of @pargyle in particular.

Having said that, I can understand how narked some people can make you feel. If you can, it's best for you and for the forum to can find a non-confrontational solution to that.

 

[pargyle]

It's unfair of you, as a result of one person's unhelpful post, to be so critical of all of the other people who have made oblique or slightly indirect contributions to this thread, . It's rare to get a direct and unequivocal answer to a request on this forum....that's just the nature of beekeeping. So, in your shoes, I would be very grateful for the responses of @pargyle in particular.

Having said that, I can understand how narked some people can make you feel. If you can, it's best for you and for the forum to can find a non-confrontational solution to that.

Any advice is better than no advice ... it's a broad forum and people often have different perspectives on the original post and indeed, as the thread drifts off into assoicated areas, it's often quite interesting what comes out of the woodwork ...

 

[user 20297]

Any advice is better than no advice ... it's a broad forum and people often have different perspectives on the original post and indeed, as the thread drifts off into assoicated areas, it's often quite interesting what comes out of the woodwork ...

.....and who!

 

[pargyle]

.....and who!

Yes ... there's a huge raft of knowledge behing the beekeeping front as well.

 

[Finman]

Any advice is better than no advice ... it's a broad forum and people often have different perspectives .

It fills a social vacuum if nothing else.

Another wisdom what I resist : " there is is no stupid questions".

 

[Erichalfbee]

Another wisdom what I resist : " there is is no stupid questions".

Well, yes but it’s a way of putting newcomers at ease. Doesn’t cost anything.

 

[Finman]

Well, yes but it’s a way of putting newcomers at ease. Doesn’t cost anything.

In this case a newcomer tried to put old farts.
He must be from Wales.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Another wisdom what I resist : " there is is no stupid questions".

Pity some don't resist the "giving stupid answers" bit

 

[iand]

“Tremendous” is a rather subjective rem. Many are prone to exaggeration.

‘Closing the door after the horse has bolted’ comes to mind. IF the drop is tremendous, the winter bees have already been compromised. Fingers crossed (can’t do anything more) that they survive the winter, let alone as (what I call) a strong colony in the spring.

As we are not really aware of the actual situation, this thread is a bit of a non-topic , in my book. Nothing out of the ordinary.

As RAB suggests we don't know the treatments that have been given, maybe they were clean but picked up a mite load from else where or is it the 1st treatment. So it is either a good clean up of some stragglers ready for the new season or yes too late for the bees responsible for getting your colony going again in spring and "the horse has already bolted".
The only time I recall having a tremendous mite drop was when varroa first arrived.
At the time bottom boards and counting mites regular was a popular pastime. Then relating date and numbers to a find out the mite population. According to the drop they were OK, but obviously not.
I treated them with strips that were available and effective at that time. The drop was a lot, maybe a 1000 or more mites far too many to count. Now a drop maybe between 10 & 100ish, with that many regarded as too many.
So you see RAB's problem, more information may get a more relevant response.
Happy christmas all

 

[Finman]

Pity some don't resist the "giving stupid answers" bit

. Your are the best. Don't worry. You do not stand competitors.