What am I meant to be doing this time of the year...

[GJUK]

... With the bees, they have fondant. Do I just leave them and hope for the best?

I know some insulate hives, I have not.
They had a good stock of suger and water leading up to this colder spell.

Thanks,

Jon

 

[Cussword]

Leave them alone. Well, just heft them from time to time to make sure they have enough stores.

 

[madasafish]

... With the bees, they have fondant. Do I just leave them and hope for the best?

I know some insulate hives, I have not.
They had a good stock of suger and water leading up to this colder spell.

Thanks,

Jon

Planning for next year.

 

[REDWOOD]

Treat for varroa if it's in your treatment plan, As Madasafish said forward planning, cleaning QE's and repairing, painting, making frames, and making new bits and pieces

 

[drex]

Read! - about bees.
Join your local association - ours kicks off its beginners theory course in Jan

 

[B+.]

Say "Hello" to your spouse. You probably won't see much of her when spring comes. ;-)

 

[Erichalfbee]

... With the bees, they have fondant. Do I just leave them and hope for the best?

I know some insulate hives, I have not.
They had a good stock of suger and water leading up to this colder spell.

Thanks,

Jon

Just a tip for beginners
When you do your first check in the spring, take a note of the amount of stores you have.
Then weigh the hive.
Brood you can count as stores for an approximation
It might save a lot of worry next winter.
I have metal eyes, one each side of the floor. I can hook luggage scales into them to weigh the hives whenever I need to

 

[B+.]

Just a tip for beginners

I would add:
Weight an empty hive with frames
This way, you know what to subtract from any weight you take at any point in the year and it will give you an estimate for the amount of stores and bees there are in the box

 

[REDWOOD]

You can also feel how heavy two full supers are and use that a a rule of thumb for next winter

 

[Millet]

On Sunday i will be hefting with scales then giving them a good old gassing, i do not know the Varroa count as the wind blew my inspection tray out last week, they are still getting done regardless.
I can not remember the weight they went into winter this year as i forgot to write it in my book (arguing lady friend and all that) however i have a good idea what the hive should feel like, pretty much a dead weight so to speak.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

At this time of year there is no more important job than looking through the catalogues to select those items which you can con your relatives into buying you for Christmas.

Think of it as an act of charity as they're probably scratching their heads trying to decide what to get the person who has nothing.

Dusty

 

[GaryB]

... With the bees, they have fondant. Do I just leave them and hope for the best?

I know some insulate hives, I have not.
They had a good stock of suger and water leading up to this colder spell.

Thanks,

Jon

Can't help thinking Jon, that as you have been a member of this forum since Feb 2011, maybe you should know by now what you should or shouldn't be doing this time of year! Beekeeping is, as we all know a continuous learning curve, but 5 years in, you should know the basics....

 

[Matt77]

Can't help thinking Jon, that as you have been a member of this forum since Feb 2011, maybe you should know by now what you should or shouldn't be doing this time of year! Beekeeping is, as we all know a continuous learning curve, but 5 years in, you should know the basics....

That sort of reply really annoys me. The OP has asked a very reasonable question. I suggest getting off your high horse & perhaps check the facts before posting in future. A quick search of the OP's past posts would have told you he only got his bees this year.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

That sort of reply really annoys me. The OP has asked a very reasonable question. I suggest getting off your high horse & perhaps check the facts before posting in future. A quick search of the OP's past posts would have told you he only got his bees this year.

Not sure who is on a high horse. Gary made a very valid point that someone who had five years reading opportunity might have soaked up some knowledge by now. My suggestions would be join the local association, take part in their theory training, take part in their practical sessions when they start and borrow Ted Hoopers book from the library. Oh and read the forum regularly.

 

[Erichalfbee]

It might have been a question whose answers might have been of interest to other people.
It might have been to jiggle a quiet winter forum
Poor chap's altruism might have caused him to fall on GaryB's sword

 

[Millet]

It might have been a question whose answers might have been of interest to other people.
It might have been to jiggle a quiet winter forum
Poor chap's altruism might have caused him to fall on GaryB's sword

To be fair too the OP i have joined all kinds of forums over the years and never visited them again as i never perused the interest on the chosen subject, now if my fire was ever lit again on any of these subjects and i logged back onto the chosen forum i sure hope people with GaryB,s attitude are not on there.

 

[REDWOOD]

Come on Millet you know you get them on every forum, just do what I do and let it fly over your head and then it's gone, although you have to duck sometimes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Millet]

Come on Millet you know you get them on every forum, just do what I do and let it fly over your head and then it's gone, although you have to duck sometimes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Personally i do not give a flying **** but other folk can be a tad sensitive.

 

[chrisb]

Say "Hello" to your spouse. You probably won't see much of her when spring comes. ;-)

good idea

 

[GaryB]

That sort of reply really annoys me. The OP has asked a very reasonable question. I suggest getting off your high horse & perhaps check the facts before posting in future. A quick search of the OP's past posts would have told you he only got his bees this year.

Not sure who is on a high horse. Gary made a very valid point that someone who had five years reading opportunity might have soaked up some knowledge by now. My suggestions would be join the local association, take part in their theory training, take part in their practical sessions when they start and borrow Ted Hoopers book from the library. Oh and read the forum regularly.

I was not trying to be mean to Jon,and yes, he has only just started posting since March of this year. I know that the search facility on the forum doesn't always bring up the answers you're looking for, but regularly checking into the forum does keep you up to speed on what more experienced keepers are doing at different times of the year, and the question of "what to do with the bees during winter" is covered extensively on here, and in all good bee literature. I agree with Gilberdyke John, that association membership, and the help of a mentor would be a good step for the OP. I hope the OP didn't take offence to my post.