Protective Winter Wrap

[Swarm]

Thanks for that ITLD, it confirms my own experience. Last two winters were very cold by our standards and on spring inspection it appeared my bees had eaten nothing, they had so much stores left! I also had a very small colony that was not dummied down and they were perfectly ok.

 

[user 6228]

No. The colder the weather, the tighter the cluster.

If you are not being ironinc I suggest you read some scientific studies on that.
try Villumstad, E., 1974. Importance of hive insulation for wintering development and honey yield in Norway.
Apiacta, 9: 116-118

 

[oliver90owner]

Honeybees don't die of the cold, they die of starvation if not fed properly for getting through the winter into spring.

I am very much inclined to agree with Hivemaker. No, not inclined, absolutely sure.

It's not starved bees which get killed in the snow; it is bees that fall below 8 degtees celsius and drop off the cluster.

The poster is again making statements which are simply untrue. Should he have said that " 'damp conditions' are worse than 'cold and dry' ", that would have been sufficiently accurate to have allowed it to pass unchallenged. Perhaps just a very poor choice of words, but, nevertheless, entirely the wrong message to send out to all the new beeks reading the forum.

 

[Graham Coulson]

Venting the crownboard

Poggle,

I will leave the vent holes in the roof open


......A lot of newbies may be thinking you are advocating leaving vents in your crown board, which I would sincerely hope you are not......

I read recently somewhere that it's a good idea in winter to raise the crown board a quarter-of-an-inch by placing small squares of wood at the corners, thereby creating four vents the length and breadth of the hive. IS THIS THEN A BAD IDEA ?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

I read recently somewhere that it's a good idea in winter to raise the crown board a quarter-of-an-inch by placing small squares of wood at the corners, thereby creating four vents the length and breadth of the hive. IS THIS THEN A BAD IDEA ?

Are you on solid or open mesh floor? If the latter lifting the CB as you describe can create an unwanted draught so a bad idea. If on solid floor it is one way of creating ventilation.

 

[Swarm]

Quarter of an inch would be too much, think matchstick.

 

[huntsman666]

I agree,but this is not always the case is it,and your statement said bees do not die of the cold,when obviously they do.....of course bees will die of the cold.

I would have thought it pretty obvious I was talking about a strong, healthy colony with sufficient stores and properly hived.

Of course if they're weak starting out into the winter they may die of the cold.

However, They will also die of the cold if a deer knocks the roof off and it's not replaced quickly.

I stand over my statement and do not feel obliged to cover all the bases as to HOW they may get cold.

 

[Arfermo]

Honeybees don't die of the cold, they die of starvation if not fed properly for getting through the winter into spring.

One of mine starved last winter because stores crystallised and I wasn't aware of it until too late even tho' hefting had indicated more than enough to get them through. Even fondant didn't help by then. Stores cells probably contaminated by rape or ivy. Saved stores for warmer weather so nothing lost except for a very productive, if feistry, colony and been regretting it since.

 

[Finman]

.
When temps go under -20C, you need to insulate hives. It saves a lot winter food and prevent winter starving.
It too helps with good Spring build up and eafly yield (longer yield season)

wrapping is not insulation. 20 mm polystyrene board is insulation. Then restrict the ventilation. The inner cover insulation should be douple comprared to sides.

If you are quick, bye at once polyboxes and put colonies there.. Then you need not wrapping.

Yes I know... in Uk you have so severe winters that sometimes your ponds have 10 mm ice cover and snow on ground will stay the whole week

 

[Luminos]

.
When temps go under -20C, you need to insulate hives. It saves a lot winter food and prevent winter starving.
It too helps with good Spring build up and eafly yield (longer yield season)

wrapping is not insulation. 20 mm polystyrene board is insulation. Then restrict the ventilation. The inner cover insulation should be douple comprared to sides.

If you are quick, bye at once polyboxes and put colonies there.. Then you need not wrapping.

Yes I know... in Uk you have so severe winters that sometimes your ponds have 10 mm ice cover and snow on ground will stay the whole week

 

[Finman]

.
If you have a mesh floor, don't use upper ventilation.

If you have a solid floor, drill a 15 mm hole (entrance) into front wall.

The upper entrance is handy when snow stucks the main entrance or dead bees stuck it.



Match sticks under inner cover are UNNATURAL.

 

[Finman]

I would have thought it pretty obvious

I was talking about a strong, healthy colony with sufficient stores and properly hived.
.

yes, every beginner has that kind of hives.

Healthy? How much mites
how much bees killed by nosema
how much bees after winter

remember the average dead rate during winter...30%, is it good?

 

[Finman]

.
Why hives die during winter? Something to do with cold?
Why don't they die in summer if they are going to die?

Why varroa and nosema kills in winter ?

 

[Into the lions den]

Quarter of an inch would be too much, think matchstick.

Come near our place in the winter and you will see not one hive with this arrangement. This has on occasions been to the considerable consternation of some experienced and traditional beekeepers who have seen it here and thought we had forgotten to put the matchsticks in.

It is yet another of the 'correct' practices taught since time immemorial about how to winter bees, yet the truth is it seems to make zip all difference. The bees will try to propolise up the gap anyway if you leave them long enough before the winter sets in.

More important is to avoid damp........highlighted by another poster earlier in the thread. Condensation on the sidewalls is rarely an issue, but if it ends up overhead the cluster then you can be in trouble.

Our way for the best wintering these days is to try to have a polystyrene hive top feeder for every wooden hive, feed them in autumn, and leave it in place all winter. Insulation overhead in this form gives about 70% of the benefit of a straight poly hive in winter, and completely eliminates overhead condensation. It can be a poly feeder, a poly roof, a sheet of high density styrofoam........but in our experience it is somewhat better directly on top of the colony, and not above a crown board or as an internal panel in the roof. then the bees seal it down and leave just the amount of top ventilation they want...which seems to normally be zero. If it is above a crown board you can get draughts etc doing some removal of the warmth from under the insulation, but it is not a major issue.

 

[Finman]

.
Hi Into!

Have you met a Padise Honey company guy Juhani Waara from Finland.
He sells much beekeeping stuff and honey harwest machines and he has 3000 hives.
Location is Porvoo near Helsinki.