Well, they're still alive.... so far!

[malawi2854]

Hello all,

After my Apifonda FINALLY arrived a few days ago, I visited my hive on Sunday - not ideal weather to put the food in - but I thought I had better get it in sooner rather than later - I had planned to put it in a month ago - and have been very worried about them ever since!
(to be honest, I've been worried about them since I last closed them in October... but I am a worryer when it comes to my bees - this is still my first winter!)

Anyway - I opened them up, had everything ready, so I could whip the lid off, chuck the food in, and close it up again ASAP - naturally, the food didn't fit under the lid... so I then had to dive into the shed to get a super out, so I could put that on top... but still - I got there in the end - left the bees covered as much as I could throughout.

I was SO pleased to see a gaggle of bees between the 2 centre frames, and positively ecstatic to find that the hive still seemed half full of capped honey - obviously I couldn't see properly, but I could see at least 3 frames full at least half way down... so I'm not too worried now - especially as they have the bag of Apifonda too.

I'm just pleased they're OK, seem to be coping well, and have started to show signs of life again out the front - I've had a pile of dead bees chucked out the front door a couple of times now - so they're getting ready for spring - all very reassuring!

Roll on the good weather!

 

[Queens59]

It is a relief isn't it? Mine seemed to show no signs of eating etc. so when I caught a glimpse when I placed fondant and again through the OMF it was such a relief. I couldn't bear to lose them in the first year!

 

[Skyhook]

An added benefit of Hivemakers Patent Thymolated Syrup- there is a faint thymol smell from the hive, this tells me they are uncapping stores. I suppose I could put something underneath to catch the cappings, but the smell is a very welcome sign.

 

[rae]

We know ours are alive - the little gits stung us 5 times as we did Oxalic a few weeks ago. First sting of the season - Jan 2.

 

[drstitson]

my first (last?) sting of the season was 23rd december and first of the year on 6th (both when OAing).

hopefully UK hive is flourishing and has no more woodpecker damage - will check this week. Dadants are alive but tightly clustered as still 6" snow and porches covered with crownboards to stop unnecessary flights into the snow.

 

[For want of a better word]

Oxalatesyrupified the out WBCs on Saturday

lots of stores still in supers, and the double brood boxed merged colony half way through a pack of fondant.

one other where I had put in a pack of fondant on to of the super as a precautionary store, have built comb around it !!

( I know supers should go beneath the brood for overwintering, but these were rescued and relocated on 1st November, and it was dark!!!)
Now have to move them again soon due to ignorant bloody smalltime builder/ scaffolder!!!.... wish the girls were in Nationals!!!!

 

[oliver90owner]

I know supers should go beneath the brood for overwintering

???

Just where the bees would store it, eh?

 

[louiseww]

I think we all worry as beginners with our first bees. My fondant when on top of the crown boards - I flattened it like a pancake then put on the insulating boards then the roof. I was a bit worried about the super going on as this will not help heat retention. I have also put small pieces of the flattened fondant on top of the frames - but like you this is my first year so this may not be right!
Louise

 

[Erichalfbee]

I know supers should go beneath the brood for overwintering

???

Just where the bees would store it, eh?

This confuses me more and more.

I have three national colonies: they were all new, in a way, and I didn't have any honey for me.

Two are overwintering on the brood box alone with a small eke on top where there is kingspan and a cut-out for fondant feeding.

The third has a partly filled super under plus the above mentioned eke etc.
I didn't want to leave this partly filled super on top as it would have left too much dead space to heat so I moved it under in the autumn on advice I gleaned from this forum. Soon after moving there was a lot of uncapping activity so I suspect much of the stored honey was moved up to the brood box as winter bees hatched and were not replaced.
I plan on changing all boxes to 14x12 (one or two poly?) this year so hopefully won't have to leave any supers anywhere.

 

[Black Comb]

Boils down to matter of opinion as to which is best.
Discussed last year at length, some say overwinter with it over, some say under.
Because one of my mentors recommended it I overwintered nats. last year with the supers under. Same this year for the nats.

The reason given for putting it under is that in the spring the queen will tend to go up so you avoid the hassle of her laying in the super (providing you get your timing right).

 

[oliver90owner]

This confuses me more and more.

I plan on changing all boxes to 14x12 (one or two poly?) this year so hopefully won't have to leave any supers anywhere.

Next year you will be able to see whether the bees start at the top (and work downwards) or start at the bottom. A full super is little dead space. Empty space is dead space. I agree a single box is better. Some will put the stores in that 'un-natural' position so they can trickle easier. I reckon the bees would much rather have their stores above them being kept at a reasonable temperature. Bees going up to find food will be warmer than individuals going down. Above? All ways round, it is the thing the bees would do.

Regards, RAB

 

[Rosti]

The reason given for putting it under is that in the spring the queen will tend to go up so you avoid the hassle of her laying in the super (providing you get your timing right).

You are right, plenty of differing views. I am with o90o. Stores above and around. Focus on getting the colony to spring with as much certainty as possible. A slow laying start is an acceptable problem to have, a dead colony is not!

 

[For want of a better word]

The Nationals have a super each of stores on top as well!!!

Asked a very old and wise local Beek what he did ( been keeping bees for 69 years now, man and boy!)...............
"never warried too mutch............. usin top bars now..... honey has to bee eaten fresh off the comb, never held with all this poncy spinning and palarva... dad had langstroths,fed em up with soaked sugar.loaf...... but only for comb honey; used to sell it all at Callington and Tavistock, and we kids we used to have to carry it there!"

Perhaps that is good advice?

 

[Poly Hive]

Maybe and maybe not.

He is working a quite different system so the principles may not carry over.

Personally I have never put a super under a brood box in my life.

What seems to be going awry for some is they haven't connected the open floor with top insulation. That is a partnership for lack of a better word.

In other words if you have an open floor you ought to also have insulation on top.

PH

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks everybody. It will be interesting (for me at least) to see what has happened to the stores in the super below when I remove it considering I have probably been overdoing it with the fondant.

 

[For want of a better word]

all my hives have a carpet tile on top............ seems a good use for them!

 

[Vergilius]

Stay alert as the days start to warm up in the next month or two... That is when the risk of starvation is highest...

Ben P

 

[Sabrina]

I gave my fondant on January 1st and have left them be since. Went down to briefly check on them a couple of days ago, not to poke around by just to see how things were going and check they were still alive. Took off the crown board covering the eke and brood box and plenty of bees milling about happily above and below the fondant. Half of it already gone!!!

They seem in good shape and I've seen them out flying a few times over the winter as well as seeing plenty of dead out front of the apiary. I even had the good fortune to see one flying a dead body out of the apiary area! They really are such amazing creatures.

My first winter, so I'm utterly paranoid. Delighted that they seem to be hanging on in there.

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's wonderful to watch isn't it, Sabrina?
With mouse guard in place mine often just tumble to the floor with a dead body.
Last week when we had a warm spell I took the entrance blocks off( I have frame nails pushed in to the blocks at bee space intervals to act as a mouse guard) and the caretaker bees had the space to fly off a good distance from the hives with their bodies.