New to site. Help

[wisewelding]

Hello I'm Ken. And just joined in because I have a problem. .. what can we new beekeepers do to keep our bees alive in winter. ... this is the 3rd time...so far.
Before this freeze we had here in Midland NC. The bees where flying when the sun was out... maybe then they took flight to live else where.. but why leave ? Today sunny no wind. So I opened up the box used a flashlight every frame empty I have not pull any frame to look in the cells yet... to see if any thing in them .. ???
What can I do the next time? Move them indoors like a green house or put that 2 inch blue foam around it? Or buy a small heat pad for lizards slide it in the opening to help keep them warm? Please help me. . Thanks, Ken Wise. .

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[Millet]

Hello I'm Ken. And just joined in because I have a problem. .. what can we new beekeepers do to keep our bees alive in winter. ... this is the 3rd time...so far.
Before this freeze we had here in Midland NC. The bees where flying when the sun was out... maybe then they took flight to live else where.. but why leave ? Today sunny no wind. So I opened up the box used a flashlight every frame empty I have not pull any frame to look in the cells yet... to see if any thing in them .. ???
What can I do the next time? Move them indoors like a green house or put that 2 inch blue foam around it? Or buy a small heat pad for lizards slide it in the opening to help keep them warm? Please help me. . Thanks, Ken Wise. .

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You are good whoever you are..

 

[wisewelding]

You are good whoever you are..

Thank you but can you help me?

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[olriley]

Sorry to hear that. If a hive fails in winter it usually runs out of stores and starves or succumbs to disease/mite loads. Either way there would be dead bees in there, usually in a cluster. Were there any?

I've never heard of bees absconding in winter and can't think of any situation they would. What makes you think they did?

As to overwintering preparation, there's lots of info here but colony health/strength going into winter is key... leaving plenty of stores, varroa management and possibly some weatherproofing of hives also important.

 

[fatshark]

Hello Ken from North Carolina.

Treatment free?

If so, there's your answer. If you're a beginner you must treat. If you don't, they'll die.

 

[wisewelding]

No not one cluster of bees maybe a few around the opening .... and on the ground a good bit .. but 2 weeks later in sunny weather they were flying around. .. now we did have a week of freeze some 35° some 17°14°below freeze... I have a county agent from Cabarrus County swing by once a month and he told me everything looked good. .. I want to bee keep... but it's like throwing good money for bad.

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[wisewelding]

Tell me of this treatment? My County agent treated them... I told him to treat them like he owned they....he inspected them regularly sometimes I'm there sometimes not.

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[wisewelding]

I keep ed feeding them with sugar water on the heavy thick side .

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[fatshark]

With a couple of notable exceptions, most of the contributors to this site keep their own bees, rather than have someone doing it for them.

Perhaps just buy honey from the store? Easier and cheaper.

 

[mintmoth]

Is Midland near Charlotte? Pretty mild winter temps usually (10C, 50'sF) if so, do your bees fly all year round? If there are still plenty of stores in the hive, it could be something happened to your queen - maybe she was lost or injured when your county agent (what's a county agent?) was looking at them, or maybe she became a drone layer and so dying workers were not being replaced.

It's difficult to give advice from the UK since our climate, hives, and methods of caring for bees are different from yours.

Perhaps get in touch with a local beekeeper who can give you advice?

 

[drex]

Hello I'm Ken. And just joined in because I have a problem. .. what can we new beekeepers do to keep our bees alive in winter. ... this is the 3rd time...so far.
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Hi Ken, welcome.
As already said the climate here will be a lot different to yours, so it might be better to get more local advice from your county association.
However the same principles apply wherever to get bees through the winter. The key is good preparation before the winter. Ensure the hives are good and weatherproof. Make sure there are no gaps between boxes or in the cover board which will cause drafts. Put a slab of insulation over the cover board and under the roof. Make sure the colony is good and strong ( sometimes I will unite colonies to ensure this). Make sure they have plenty of stores by feeding strong syrup before the temperatures drop, and most importantly leave them alone, not opening up until the temperatures start to pick up in spring.
Get yourself a good beekeeping book. I take it this county guy you mention is like our regional bee inspectors. When he looks into your hives, try to be there, so he can give you some teaching. Get a local mentor who has experience.
Why do you want to keep bees? There is a difference between having bees and keeping bees.
A little time invested in learning will save you a lot of money and worry. Enjoy!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I can only echo what some others have said. Is there a beekeeping club anywhere near you? Failing that there are some fairly reasonable online courses but they do cost money. Nothing beats decent one to one help. Read to learn about how bees work. Beekeeping for Dummies is not a bad start. You need to monitor and likely treat for Varroa which is the likely cause of your colony’s death

 

[enrico]

Ps having started this thread there now no need to post the same thing on someone else's thread. All gets a bit confusing. Just trying to pass a bit of British etiquette on

 

[Millet]

I personally think it is a wind up but i apologize if this is a genuine post..

 

[Beefriendly]

I've never heard of bees absconding in winter and can't think of any situation they would. What makes you think they did?

It does happen, just very infrequently.
Had a Marie Celeste hive myself where the bees just vanished somewhere between end of Jan and middle of March a few years ago. Plenty of stores left in a well insulated hive, not a bee in sight, just a couple of dead bees inside the hive non outside around the floor of the hive. I've since talked to a few other beekeepers who have had the very same happen. Very rare though.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Ps having started this thread there now no need to post the same thing on someone else's thread. All gets a bit confusing. Just trying to pass a bit of British etiquette on

just realised I'd put my answer to the OP on the other thread - probably added to that OP's confusion...

Feed them plenty of sugar syrup in the autumn, then stop fiddling with them all winter.

 

[Poly Hive]

I suspect a wind up too.

It took a minute to find this so why post here?

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=north+carolina+beekeeping+forum&atb=v75-6_u&ia=web

PH

 

[wisewelding]

With a couple of notable exceptions, most of the contributors to this site keep their own bees, rather than have someone doing it for them.

Perhaps just buy honey from the store? Easier and cheaper.

Oh so sorry for your understanding of a new beginner.... I was learning getting help.. my Grandfather did it and yea he also had a close friend .. granddad had the land freind had the bees... but sorry to say my grandfather passed before I started. ....


So yea I have someone here to help..... just not you..

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[wisewelding]

Hi Ken, welcome.
As already said the climate here will be a lot different to yours, so it might be better to get more local advice from your county association.
However the same principles apply wherever to get bees through the winter. The key is good preparation before the winter. Ensure the hives are good and weatherproof. Make sure there are no gaps between boxes or in the cover board which will cause drafts. Put a slab of insulation over the cover board and under the roof. Make sure the colony is good and strong ( sometimes I will unite colonies to ensure this). Make sure they have plenty of stores by feeding strong syrup before the temperatures drop, and most importantly leave them alone, not opening up until the temperatures start to pick up in spring.
Get yourself a good beekeeping book. I take it this county guy you mention is like our regional bee inspectors. When he looks into your hives, try to be there, so he can give you some teaching. Get a local mentor who has experience.
Why do you want to keep bees? There is a difference between having bees and keeping bees.
A little time invested in learning will save you a lot of money and worry. Enjoy!

Thank you. . For the info.. my guy here is a soil engineer from Cabarrus County and he has 35 hives.. I found him running through my neighbor hood. I followed him one day to see if he went to the same hives that I saw down the road. Flagged him down. .and good news i have seen bees flying yesterday in the sun so happy. .

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[wisewelding]

Ok I saw some bees flying in the sun. Great ... put some sugar out side the box... some came to it.... that night it rained next day windy.... got up at 3am. Went out for work at 4:30am.. got home at 5pm. Found my box on the ground. Frames out of box.. put everything together again. . Found only 1 bee so far. .. not happy...

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