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Finman

Queen Bee
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Messages
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Location
Finland, Helsinki
Hive Type
Langstroth
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We had 30 cm snow it is gone now. Forecast is +7C and rain, rain, rain...
Wind 10 m/s.

It seems same in UK http://www.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/saa/saaulkom.html

Should I be worried about? No. I cannot do nothing. Bees are in cluster and they do better in this weather.

10 - 15 years ago I could cover now hives against snow and wind. In recent years it is better to keep front open. Bees fly out and in in these temperatures.

After these warm winters hives have been in good condition.

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+3 through Russia,they have a heatwave!

It is -3 here tonight in the south of the uk plus a windchill.
 
-25 :xmas-smiley-010:

The uk would stop for 6 weeks!

We are advised not to drive when it gets to snow,and we salt roads at +1
 
So is the general opinion that our bees will fair better in a mild winter than a cold one ?
Surely mild and wet would be a poor scenario too, i had been hoping for a few decent spells sub zero, to kill off little nasties and wasps etc.
 
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Remember, bees are creatures of warm areas. They do better if winter is mild.

If they have protected chamber and enough food, they do fine.

But here in August when they get pollen and wether are just and just, 50% of bees may be destroyed during one week. If sun invite them out and cloud goes in front of sun, bees drop down.

.

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Odd Weather

Hello,
Sorry to hear that you are all under the weather so to speak - It was 24c(+) here yesterday and I have just been outside and the rose tinted dawn sky is cloudless. A heavy dew last night. This might seem ideal - but it is very unseasonal. We have had four years of severe drought, the dams are all empty and Cyprus had to bring 8 million tons of water from Greece this year. There is no rain forecast for the next ten days. December is usually the month with the most rain. It looks like Cyprus will pay a heavy price in climate change.
Best regards
Norton.
 
Hello Norton. welcome. It will be sad if Cyprus become a dry and crispy desert.
 
Hi Norton welcome to the forum,are you the Queen seller from Cyprus?
Any chance of any pics of your bees and hives etc?

Any info on next years plans.
 
Hello,
I've uploaded some photos to my albums - more to follow. ENJOY!
Best regards
Norton.
 
Hi Norton
And Welcome.

I will be visiting your island again next August, has there been no rain in the mountains either ?
 
Hi Norton
welcome to our forum, this drought in cy sounds really bad,lets hope it rains very hard and long,soon. Really like your pictures,especially of the hives in the pine forests. We have the opposite of drought,in fact we are at the end of a second year of a two year winter.
 
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HI Norton you won?t be supplying the uk with Cyprus queens this coming year then?
Theirs a plug for you Roger!
all the best mike
 
This is from today's Cyprus Mail newspaper. It is not encouraging at all:-


Prepare to live in a desert
By Stefanos Evripidou

CLIMATE change is irreversible, warned a top scientist at the Cyprus Institute yesterday, adding that Cyprus had no choice but to adapt to hotter weather and reduced rainfall.

Director of the Energy, Environment and Water Research Centre at the Cyprus Institute, Professor Manfred Lange, said Cyprus had to start building houses and managing water to adapt to the hot and dry years expected to come.

“We have seen a 1.6 degrees Celsius increase in temperature here, which means Cyprus warms up faster than the rest of the world where the global mean increase is 0.8 degrees Celsius,” he said.

Added to that, rainfall has not stopped falling since the 1940s. Average rainfall between 1941 and 1970 was 533mm in Cyprus. During 1971-2000, this dropped to 463mm, showing a significant decrease.

Cyprus also has the biggest water problem in the EU, according to the Centre’s Water Stress Index, which calculates the ratio between water being used versus available water.

“Cyprus is the champion of water stress in Europe. It has the highest water needs than any other country in Europe,” said Lange.

It also has the highest percentage, 80 per cent, of groundwater reservoirs at risk of being depleted. “There is no water underground,” the professor said starkly.

The flow of water into the dams is declining between 24 and 58 per cent. Present storage is at its lowest level ever, standing at just 8.8 million cubic metres, or 3.2 per cent of full capacity (273.6 million cubic metres).

The Institute used global climate models to assess the likely future of the region, based on a “very conservative estimates” of greenhouse gas emissions in the future, which even take into account political measures like the Kyoto Protocol.

“So what we are showing is the lower estimates of what will happen, the minimum effect. We really should prepare for a higher temperature increase and lower rainfall,” he said.

Using 1961-1990 as a reference period, the group of scientists projected that average summer temperatures would increase by two degrees Celsius between 2021 and 2050, particularly in the Troodos region. Within the last 30 years of the 21st century, this will likely rise to a five degree increase.

Cyprus will feel an extra 25 days a year of extreme temperatures (over 35 degrees) in 2021-2050, increasing to 60 days in 2070-2100.

If you think the nights will bring respite to the summer heat, think again. Cyprus is expected to have an extra 45 tropical nights, where temperature rises above 20 degrees Celsius in the first projected period 2021-2050. This will be spread out in different parts of the island. By the end of the century, this will increase to 90 extra tropical nights, all over the island.

Rainfall between 2021 and 2050 will drop by 6-18 per cent. For 2070-2100, there’ll be a 20-35 per cent decrease, creating “almost desert like conditions”.

Winter will also become much drier, with rainfall dropping between 25 and 40 per cent by the end of the century. The eastern part of Cyprus will have 15 more days without rainfall while western Cyprus’ dry spells will increase by one month.

Asked whether the dismal projections were reversible, Lange replied: “I think it’s too late to talk about reversible. Cyprus is bound to a significant amount of climate change. The figures are showing a definite trend, and that’s using conservative scenarios.”

Though falling greenhouse gas emissions won’t reverse the trend, if emissions increase, the predictions could get worse, he noted.

“We should very definitely make an effort to reduce emissions but we also need to look at adaptation and how to deal with the changes,” said Lange.

Environment Commissioner Charalambos Theopemptou highlighted that if Cypriots wanted to maintain their quality of life, they would have to learn to adapt to the changing environment, particularly regarding water supply, tourism and agriculture.

“We also need to convince others to reduce emissions. How can we do this if we don’t take measures ourselves, serious measures which will hurt the economy,” said Thepemptou.

Lange gave an example of where to start: “Things have to change in the building sector, insulation, the way windows are built, simple things to reduce energy consumption and contribute to leading a life which is much better suited to the new climate.”

The director also called for a more centralised water management policy so measures could be taken quickly to avoid the declining reservoir levels we are seeing today.

“My impression is water management is too divergent, there are too many players with too many divergent views creating a non-coherent water policy on the island.”

Lange said Cyprus would have to depend on desalination in the long-run, but using renewable resources.

“Solar thermal energy should be developed aggressively,” he said
 
HI Norton you won?t be supplying the uk with Cyprus queens this coming year then?
Theirs a plug for you Roger!
all the best mike

Hi Mike,
We will be supplying queens, but we sold out for 2009 about two months ago. All prepaid.
If the situation changes, I will advertise - it is highly unlikely though as we also have a waiting list.
Best regards
Norton.
 
That's what I like about this forum - the members have a good sense of humour!!
Norton.
 
That makes for some grim predictions for the climate out there,people may survive,but not good for nature at all,including bee's.And here we have the other extreme, wet.
 

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