Hive weight for winter and general preparation.

[Strit]

Hi everyone, I'm going into my first winter with one hive and due to my limited experience with hefting I decided to put a couple screws in and weigh with luggage scales. I got an overall weight of 24.5kg, but do have a heavier than average roof as it's gabled.
Do you think I'm slightly underweight and if so should I be feeding syrup or fondant? I'm in Derbyshire and temperatures are dropping off and getting quite damp now. It's a national hive.
I'm expecting to leave the inspection tray out, but put boards around the base/stand to limit wind exposure, with a 2" builders insulation sheet on top of the crown board.
Any suggestions welcome as I want to make sure I'm doing the best I can for my first and only colony.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’d be happier with another 7kg or so. It’s a good idea to keep that insulation on permanently

 

[Swarm]

Remove the roof before weighing, gives you a better idea.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

or just weigh the roof and subtract that from the total

 

[Erichalfbee]

Get a weight for your component parts empty and add 10lb for frames wax and bees. Then you need 30/40lb on top of that

 

[elainemary]

Hi everyone, I'm going into my first winter with one hive and due to my limited experience with hefting I decided to put a couple screws in and weigh with luggage scales. I got an overall weight of 24.5kg, but do have a heavier than average roof as it's gabled.
Do you think I'm slightly underweight and if so should I be feeding syrup or fondant? I'm in Derbyshire and temperatures are dropping off and getting quite damp now. It's a national hive.
I'm expecting to leave the inspection tray out, but put boards around the base/stand to limit wind exposure, with a 2" builders insulation sheet on top of the crown board.
Any suggestions welcome as I want to make sure I'm doing the best I can for my first and only colony.
View attachment 34116

I have WBCs and when the roof and lifts are removed leaving a brood box and super plus first lift/ porch, I aim for 40kg, this always seems to get mine through with a couple of deep frames of stores left by spring, so I think yours is a little light. I feed invert to early October, so if you have that I’d top up, or equally fondant is used by many beekeepers now and all through winter.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Get a weight for your component parts empty and add 10lb for frames wax and bees. Then you need 30/40lb on top of that

All you need is 30 or 40 pounds for winter? Wow!

 

[Erichalfbee]

All you need is 30 or 40 pounds for winter? Wow!

Yes...it must be wow! for you but you know the weather is kind to us. Even that 40lb is often too much in my poly hives and I have to take a frame of stories out in spring. How much do you reckon on getting your bees through the winter, Michael?

 

[Strit]

Hi everyone, thanks for the feedback, this will be really useful, especially as I'll soon be buying a second of the same hive and will get weights of all the bare component parts.
As far as feeding invert goes, I see this is just a case of adding 1g of citric acid per kilo of sugar, but is this something you'd only do when approaching the colder weather and what difference does it make?
Would I be right in thinking that adding thymol would benefit, so any uncapped stores which may not have time to dry are less prone to spoiling?
I noticed my bees could take up a litre of syrup in a day. Not having used fondant yet, typically how quickly will they consume a kilo of this?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

As far as feeding invert goes, I see this is just a case of adding 1g of citric acid per kilo of sugar,

no, just buy ready made invert - not worth mucking around with sugar

 

[Michael Palmer]

Yes...it must be wow! for you but you know the weather is kind to us. Even that 40lb is often too much in my poly hives and I have to take a frame of stories out in spring. How much do you reckon on getting your bees through the winter, Michael?

Our bees need 70-80 pounds of stores to make it until the first spring flow (Silver Maple). Total weight of hive should be 155-160. My hives are two deeps and a medium super. Takes a bunch of feed when the Autumn flow is down. Fed out 13,500 pounds of 2:1 syrup this year, the nucs (500+) taking 2/3 of it. We finished one week ago and will start picking up feeders on Monday. Snowflakes are showing up in the weather forecast icons for next week. Lovely.

 

[Swarm]

I watched Ian Steppler weighing his as he was loading them, looking for a total weight of 95 - 100lbs, albeit they are singles and brought in for winter.

 

[Erichalfbee]

. My hives are two deeps and a medium super.

That’s a big colony.