Survival rate for winter 2013

[busybeephilip]

Hi guys,
Here in N Ireland we are experiencing very small cluster sizes, about 75% of colonies are down to 3-4 frames many less than this and the losses are gaining momentum as I hear tales of woe at the club meetings. Many hives are short of stores even after being heavily fed in the autumn. This is so far the worst winter I have experienced in my 40+ years of bees. I blane the wet but warm autumn and the very prolonged wel and cold period at present

What's it like you you guys accross the sea ?

Phil

 

[For want of a better word]

The AMMs seem to be OK... but all got 1kg of fondant

The NZ bearing up... 1 loss from 12 so far.... also getting fondant
Loss was due to small colony size... you think I should have merged it with another... a risk you take
Roll on the nectar and pollen flow!

 

[protheroe]

ive lost 2 hives and 4 nucs out of 30 so far and i will probably lose more.A number of my hives are very low on bees.Fingers crossed and hope for an early decent spring.

 

[biglongdarren]

i've lost one so far out of 14,more to come though id say,what part of the country are you in phil??
Darren

 

[kathrynat]

I've lost one colony, and two of my other colonies are small clusters. They have fondant and the clusters are below the fondant so fingers crossed.

 

[Mellifera397]

Small cluster in my hive, they were a late swarm so fed heavily in autumn and they've a load of fondant so fingers crossed.

 

[Luka22]

We discovered today our first loss. Very sad day, because they were beautiful dark bees, very different to the others we had. They were a very small cluster and we were worried most of the winter that they won't make it even with feeding them and insulating their hive.

We had Fondant on the Frames as well as on the CB, most times they ate it from both locations, but now we found them with their heads stuck in the comb and piled up on the OMF. Maybe the last days were too cold for them to move around and what they took from the frames they ate straight without filling up any stores, its hard to say what happend, just said to see them dead.

So 1 loss out of 7 so far, lets hope the others make it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Many hives are short of stores even after being heavily fed in the autumn

Yes, touché

Too early to tell re losses. All four boxes humming and two taking fondant.
Will hold my breath. I wish Spring would come, Mahonia been out ages, Hellebores too and Hazel is starting.......what a waste!

 

[madasafish]

Don't know. TBHs don't encourage inspection when it's 1C at midday


A cold and damp winter here is no help.. Not seen a bee since early Jan...

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Small Nuc. bought last year. Made the hive supers up wrong leaving a space so they got robbed. Added more woodwork to close the gap and fed all the way through to adding fondant and a 4 inch quilt on top of honey frames. Checked at the weekend when it was a bit warmer and they were eating away at the honey at the back of the hive. Did not lift out the quilt totally but moved the fondant further towards the back so it was right over the top of the Nuc. We have had snow here since then and the door to the hive is sealed with it, so less of a through draft while it is really cold. Crossing my fingers. My place is quite exposed and windy as well as cold there is no snow in other parts of the city.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Lost 2 out of 17 but they were small going in to winter... A couple more on the small size so fingers crossed

 

[dickbowyer]

Thankfully mine are all are ok but would agree all relatively small so fingers crossed and slab of fondant on to try and get them through until weather and forage improves next month

 

[richardbees]

I don't know how mine are doing as it's too cold to lift the crown board and have a look = it's been <8c for the last week or so....

 

[REDWOOD]

Interesting to see that most are on nationals

 

[Finno]

No point in counting the chickens (bees?) yet!

P F

 

[REDWOOD]

At least 4 more weeks

 

[beeno]

Hi all,
Lost one nuc which never really got going. Other four colonies seem OK, but who really knows. All five seams+ chomping through their stores and fondant. Can't wait for this cold snap to come to an end. The PH which was my largest colony have had least activity admittedly it's in the shade in the mornings. Can't help wondering if it's going to be Q-. One saving grace this year is that probably none of my swarms were casts. The one that was, I united as she was laying multiple eggs and I was out of gear. I have got a bit of hazel nearby so I am looking forward to seeing the bees on that. Otherwise, general consencus locally is some losses, small clusters and more losses expected.

 

[Luminos]

No point in counting the chickens (bees?) yet!

P F

 

[tyke]

Lost 2 out of 15, not surprised as they were late mated queens so possibly not correctly mated.

Think I will lose a few more as the number of seams of bees indicates quite a few of the remaining colonies are on the small side. Still have plenty of stores, so not having to give them fondant (unlike last season).
Andy

 

[Finman]

Hi guys,
Here in N Ireland we are experiencing very small cluster sizes, about 75% of colonies are down to 3-4 frames many less than this and the losses are gaining momentum as I hear tales of woe at the club meetings.

Phil

I suppose that start situation is bad conditions of brooding in fall when bees chould rear the winterbees.
Perhaps brood breaks during summer dropped the numbers of nursing bees.

That happens when bees do not get enough pollen and winterbees are not properly feeded after emerging.

Of course, if wintering hives have only 3-4 frames, it is not good, but even normal size colonies suffer if thay have not enough pollen when they prepare for wintering.

One frame of brood needs one frame pollen.
If you have 5 frames brood before autumn, you get 5 frame winter cluster.

In my hives bees storage pollen in lowest brood box in main flow and then they consume it all and rear winterbees even if nature do not give enough pollen.

Last August I had hives on 20 hectares red clover seed cultivation. I did not see bees in flowers because they were most of time wet for raining.
Normally that kind of field is full of bumblebees, but now their hives had died for continuos raining. No bumblebees.

2002 we had really dry summer. It was same in parts of Germany and Sweden.
60% wintering losses happened on that area and reason propably was that hives did not get good quality pollen in late half of summer.

I had 18 hives and in spring I had 3 normal size colonies and 3 small cup size.

.