silent hive

[Erichalfbee]

Really?!? Or are you pulling my leg? lol

No, not at all, Kaz. Try it

 

[victor meldrew]

Just for some reassurance: I walked up to my bees this morning, the thermometer here says -10 and in the car it was saying -6

I rapped on one colony I know is powerful and there is no reason at all that they should be dead but there was not a murmur from them. I suspect they are clustered very tightly indeed.

Some of the nucs were visibly working the fondant, but the big colonies were showing no sign of life at all.

Time will tell but I am not worrying.

PH

Not much resonance from a ploy-hive I suspect ? Bet they didn't know you'd been

John Wilkinson

 

[rae]

Don't be tempted to knock on the hive!
If hive is alive you have disturbed it , if hive is dead there's not a lot you can do about it !

I'm not advocating banging on the hive every morning to make sure they are up! I tend to have a look every week or so, inspect for woodpecker/mouse attack, look at the cappings dropping under the hive, and give the odd one a tap just to get reassurance.

 

[drstitson]

"Not much resonance from a poly-hive I suspect ? Bet they didn't know you'd been"

perhaps that would suggest a suitable use for the battery powered "massagers" that the other halves will receive in their work "secret santa" over the next few weeks!!!!

 

[beeboybee]

UPDATE........
both Hives are alive wo ho............

Today I did was allowed out on good behaviour to do some bee stuff!!!!!!

1. gently hefted both hives and not so worried about stores now.
2. listened to both hives and can hear a gentle rustling.
3. Ordered Some BAKO to put on next weekend as a backup o the stores
4. left OMF tray 3/4 in and will check on used wax capping's at the weekend
5. Cut my bits of wood to change my new Modern Beekeeping Jumbo NUC into A 14 x 12 NUC for next year.

Thanks for all the advice

 

[MJBee]

I put the varroa trays in all my colonies 2 or 3 days before I treat with OA, for two reasons:-

1. It gives a clear indication of where the cluster is - debris pattern.
2. re-assurance that the colony is alive and kicking.

 

[madasafish]

Been too cold here to play beekeeper. A few corpses outside the entrance tell me they are still alive..

And the forecast says it will be too cold this coming weekend... if it's not raining it will be -6 or -7C.

Navel contemplation time... and time to taste whether my half price Asda wine is as good as I remembered.
It is. Time to buy some more then...

I will worry again in February..

 

[Vergilius]

Braved the cold to give mine some fondant after hefting yesterday. I suppose that, as the bees will be consuming their fondant straight off rather than storing it, I should not expect to feel an increase of weight next time I heft. Can someone correct me if I'm wrong plz...


Ben P

 

[oliver90owner]

I should not expect to feel an increase of weight next time I heft.

That would depend on whether the last hefting was before or after the addition of fondant, and/or when next you heft it, would it not?

You did say 'after'.

RAB

 

[Silly Bee]

A few corpses outside the entrance tell me they are still alive.. MASAF



Don't worry, I'm sure everybody knows what you mean.

 

[Vergilius]

I should not expect to feel an increase of weight next time I heft.

That would depend on whether the last hefting was before or after the addition of fondant, and/or when next you heft it, would it not?

You did say 'after'.

RAB

Last hefted before the addition of fondant. What I am saying is that when I next heft I should not expect any discernable increase in the weight even though I have provided them with more food as they will not be storing it.

Ben P

 

[Hivemaker.]

If the colony is still alive and eating the stores, you will get a decrease in weight,unless there is some kind of winter honey flow.
With the hefting before you added the fondant the only differnce will be the weight of the fondant you added, minus what they have consumed next time you heft..

 

[oliver90owner]

minus what they have consumed next time you heft..

Which might mean it could be heavier or lighter than previous heft, dependant on a) how much fondant was added and b) how much the bees have consumed (honey + fondant) between those heft times.

Basically, how long is a piece of string with no clues at all!

RAB