Lack of stores in March

[drex]

I was under the impression bees cluster tightly to keep warm when it's cold, to conserve heat and thus conserve stores. With build up I'm not sure I want them building up in Jan only to have a cold Feb and/or March.

We have a warmer winters here so I've not really worried much about insulation. Our bees were bringing in gorse pollen in January. Sheltering them more from the wind is something I plan to do.

Insulation works both ways. Keeps hives warmer in winter and cooler in summer. I have 2 inches of Celotex ( from skips) in all my roofs. A simple addition but am sure it makes a difference. I can feel the heat when I lay my hand on the crown board. I believe poly hives are an advantage for bees but prefer the aesthetics of wood.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I was under the impression bees cluster tightly to keep warm when it's cold, to conserve heat and thus conserve stores.

Unfortunately the wrong impression - bees need to create heat in winter so burn more stores in colder hives.

 

[Woodland bees]

Unfortunately the wrong impression - bees need to create heat in winter so burn more stores in colder hives.

So how come they've used far more stores in a warm winter than they did when it was cold? Purely down to raising brood earlier? I think the colony size was similar on some of the hives this winter as last.

Drex, keeping the summer heat off I understand, I'm thinking about doing something if it gets hot again this summer.

 

[Ian123]

So how come they've used far more stores in a warm winter than they did when it was cold? Purely down to raising brood earlier? I think the colony size was similar on some of the hives this winter as last.

Being just generaly more active they will consume more stores, and yes if they start rearing brood then they have to turn up the thermostat

 

[Finman]

.
Britain is not the warmest place where bees over winter. Bees need to save food stores in every climate. They do not eate for fun.

Winter is not only period when they consume food. There are autumn months and spring monts too.

We have 3-4 months autumn months, when they do not get food from nature.
Then there are 3-4 snow months. Then 1-2 months spring, when hives need still sugar stores. In spring consuption is huge because they rear brood and hive temperature is 36 C.
.

 

[ASPIRERITE]

Most of my hives have low stores and I'm feeding them all. I've lost 4 hives and all had run out of honey. And had a fair amount of brood including drone brood

 

[madasafish]

Most of my hives have low stores and I'm feeding them all. I've lost 4 hives and all had run out of honey. And had a fair amount of brood including drone brood

My 8 main hives went into winter with 20kg of honey in nadired supers plus whatever was in the (jumbo Lang) brood box. They still have at least 10kg of honey and are on between 7 to 9 seams of bees. .. At this time last year they were on 5-7 frames of bees.
50mm insulation on sides 100mm on roof

 

[ASPIRERITE]

My 8 main hives went into winter with 20kg of honey in nadired supers plus whatever was in the (jumbo Lang) brood box. They still have at least 10kg of honey and are on between 7 to 9 seams of bees. .. At this time last year they were on 5-7 frames of bees.
50mm insulation on sides 100mm on roof

I didn't insulate my hives this time but did the year before , I've had about the same percentage in loss but this winter was warmer. I'm hoping I get the rest through. Hopefully we don't get a hard freeze because I wouldn't bet on any weather and they have a fair amount of brood

 

[For want of a better word]

Most of my hives have low stores and I'm feeding them all. I've lost 4 hives and all had run out of honey. And had a fair amount of brood including drone brood

This is the problems you are giving your self by keeping bees that are not adapted to the conditions you are forcing them to live under in the vein pursuit of a massive honey crop.

Requeening with "Buckfasts" annually.....
Using uninsulated hives in the notoriously cold and windy exposure to North Sea winter storms.

Do you bring all of your (claimed) 100s of colonies down from the hills to a sheltered apiary to overwinter for instance?

Take a look around at some of the successful beefarmers up north.. Chain Bridge is a good example.

I think you are either on a hiding to nowhere or are just having us on !!

 

[Beefriendly]

This is the problems you are giving your self by keeping bees that are not adapted to the conditions you are forcing them to live under in the vein pursuit of a massive honey crop.

R

Why are people allowed to persist in re-telling this fairy tale. It's total carp.

 

[Finman]

This is the problems you are giving your self by keeping bees that are not adapted to the conditions you are forcing them to live under in the vein pursuit of a massive honey crop.


:

Forging them to give massive honey crop... Tel me how do you do it?

Not adapting ..... How heck some are not adapted and only one strain is?

 

[Murox]

Why are people allowed to persist in re-telling this fairy tale. It's total carp.

I fear many are mere Sophists; using logic to twist meaning or twist logic to suit their needs. Perhaps in this forum some are better described as Trolls whose writings serve to highlight their unhappiness; a juvenile expression of weakness and self-loathing. Fairy tales have always been popular.

 

[SDM]

This is the problems you are giving your self by keeping bees that are not adapted to the conditions you are forcing them to live under in the vein pursuit of a massive honey crop.

Requeening with "Buckfasts" annually.....
Using uninsulated hives in the notoriously cold and windy exposure to North Sea winter storms.

Do you bring all of your (claimed) 100s of colonies down from the hills to a sheltered apiary to overwinter for instance?

Take a look around at some of the successful beefarmers up north.. Chain Bridge is a good example.

I think you are either on a hiding to nowhere or are just having us on !!

Damn those mal adapted bees from those balmy Danish islands. What chance have they got in the savage British winter.

 

[madasafish]

Damn those mal adapted bees from those balmy Danish islands. What chance have they got in the savage British winter.

 

[Swarm]

Yeah, just keep stirring the gene pool, messing things up is what we humans do best.
With luck a virus will come along that wipes us all out and the planet can take a massive sigh of relief.

 

[Finman]

With luck a virus will come along that wipes us all out and the planet can take a massive sigh of relief.

Amen

 

[ASPIRERITE]

This is the problems you are giving your self by keeping bees that are not adapted to the conditions you are forcing them to live under in the vein pursuit of a massive honey crop.

Requeening with "Buckfasts" annually.....
Using uninsulated hives in the notoriously cold and windy exposure to North Sea winter storms.

Do you bring all of your (claimed) 100s of colonies down from the hills to a sheltered apiary to overwinter for instance?

Take a look around at some of the successful beefarmers up north.. Chain Bridge is a good example.

I think you are either on a hiding to nowhere or are just having us on !!

I requeen because I was told to and given advice that made sense to me and I didn't insulate to compare results. I don't keep bees not adapted to our climate because the Buckfast was developed in our climate to improve on the survivors of the last huge outbreak of something that almost totally wiped out the native bee. Buckfast was developed over many generations in our climate? As far as I'm aware the only native bee that exists are bees that survived it that have been crossed countless times with imports. According to what I read there were only tiny pockets of survivors but I could be wrong and misinformed. But Ill take some of the advice I've been given on here and try out some other things as well. I have tried local bees and mine seem to be quite aggressive compared to what I'm using and not a pleasure to work with at all

 

[Woodland bees]

Well, I've fed the hives that need it. As hoped, plenty of activity this week so they are also bringing nectar in.

I inspected the hive that had the most stores today as it seemed very busy. Still some winter stores left and loads of capped brood, including capped drone brood and drones in the hive. Plenty of pollen and nectar as well.