What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Erichalfbee]

I have seen. I am not blind.

For example when I reduce my hives for winter, you add super under the wintering box.

I put capped winter food over the brood box and you out there put it under the brood.



-
,

Nobody puts capped stores under the brood box for winter....you are mistaken.
What some people do is to put uncapped stores in a super after they have harvested and while it is still warm so that the bees move the honey up into the brood box where they need it for winter. Then.....they can take the super away or leave it empty underneath for the winter.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Nobody puts capped stores under the brood box for winter....you are mistaken.

I expect it came from here........

Over 40+ years of beekeeping I have settled on brood and half for an average colony (OK, I know there are drawbacks). Usual practice has been to place the shallow above the BB, then in autumn feed syrup into this shallow and nadir the shallow a month or so later

 

[Finman]

Then.....they can take the super away or leave it empty underneath for the winter.

That is very odd too. Makes no sense.

 

[Heather]

You surely don't leave an empty super under for winter.. consolidate the warmth not give extra area to heat.

 

[Erichalfbee]

You surely don't leave an empty super under for winter.. consolidate the warmth not give extra area to heat.

Errr yes.
The bees don't heat empty space underneath them

 

[Erichalfbee]

I expect it came from here........

Ah.....Thank you for the translation

 

[Finman]

Errr yes.
The bees don't heat empty space underneath them

They surely do.

But if you have the mesh floor open, the empty box works as draught lobby.

But if you close the mesh floor, draught lobby is not needed.

When the wintering room is warm, the relative moisture is low. Warm box keeps the interrior dry.

New knowledge to Great Britain. And very important to spring build up.

 

[Michael Palmer]

You surely don't leave an empty super under for winter.. consolidate the warmth not give extra area to heat.

I would. In fact my brood chamber Langstroth BB with a super. No problem for the bees to heat the cluster.

 

[Finman]

I would. In fact my brood chamber Langstroth BB with a super. No problem for the bees to heat the cluster.

Yeah, but why?

No one in my country do that. Professionals keep their wintering colony in Langstroth box or in two medium box. Everyone has insulated hive boxes.

Lower box only gathers mold onto combs.

But colonies survive over winter even if method is not so exactly. ...When the cluster is big enough.
.

 

[Swarm]

I would. In fact my brood chamber Langstroth BB with a super. No problem for the bees to heat the cluster.

Mine are double national, they do well on that format. If the floor is wide open, why would a box between this and the cluster cause concern? Having a gap between cluster and open floor is probably a better idea.

 

[Goran]

I would. In fact my brood chamber Langstroth BB with a super. No problem for the bees to heat the cluster.

Something like this ( bees and stores up, empty comb or with remaining stores below which will bees redistribute in BB above into arches before winter). Minimum or none of losses, awesome spring build up. So it has no negative impact on colony development. In fact I think if not all here, then vast majority overwinter this way.
The cluster is mostly in upper part, only bottom edge is " hanging" in box below ( if not whole cluster is up) - usual situation.

On a pic is visible how cluster creates warmth and melt the snow ( I am guilty, my " boxes" are termally inefficient but have awesome honey isolation inside )

 

[B+.]

The cluster is mostly in upper part, only bottom edge is " hanging" in box below ( if not whole cluster is up) - usual situation.

I looked in a double poly Langstroth yesterday. The colony was in the centre so, when I split the two boxes, I had the queen with half of the colony in the upper box and the other half of the colony in the lower box.
The lower box still had a couple of frames of food in, but the upper box was pretty much packed (except for the hemisphere that the colony occupied.
So long as there is a barrier to prevent field mice getting in, they do very well in doubles.

 

[Goran]

In such way I have prepared colony for first operations in spring. Below I have 8 frames, and in spring first work with the frames sealed brood go down in center ( 2 frames usually), up are going built comb or foundations - depends of my decision upon situation. This way also I don't have to store somewhere comb frames, I let them keep their own comb frames. This winter mice weren't problem but woodpeckers as I said earlier hopefully minor nuisance..

 

[Michael Palmer]

Lower box only gathers mold onto combs.

No mold in mine.

 

[bjosephd]

Finman... do you over winter on single or double brood?


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[Finman]

Finman... do you over winter on single or double brood?


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boath. It depends on the size of colony.

 

[Fusion_power]

This is what $2200 U.S. looks like on the pallet. 1206 sheets of 10 5/8 foundation plus 2 boxes of 5 3/8 for extracting frames.

No mold in mine.

You use an upper entrance. No mold.

 

[Finman]

You use an upper entrance. No mold.

That is not an answer. Answer is that respiration moisture condensates on cold combs.
Second thing is that white combs does not form mold.


I use upper entrances too in every hive.

Combs take mold in outdoor store too during winter.

 

[Finman]

This is what $2200 U.S. looks like on the pallet. 1206 sheets of 10 5/8 foundation plus 2 boxes of 5 3/8 for extracting frames.
.

I have same amount, because I am collecting frames to another beekeeper.

It is very quick to assemble the frames, but wiring is the slowest job in contract.

I have tried to find from YouTube such apparatus handles quickly 4 wires through the holes.

 

[Fusion_power]

I have tried to find from YouTube such apparatus handles quickly 4 wires through the holes.

I agree, wiring frames is time consuming. I can think of a few tweaks that would make it much faster. Most would require a machine to clip the wire and attach a brass stud on the end so the wire would hold in the end bar instead of having to be wrapped around a nail. I am running 3 horizontal wires in Dadant depth frames and using vertical wired foundation. This provides more than enough support to hold up to extracting. This is a photo of the 5.1mm foundation I received today compared to a sheet of 5.4mm on top. http://www.selectedplants.com/miscan/5.1cell1.jpg

One of the more innovative ways of wiring a frame was documented in Gleanings about 30 years ago. The person was driving frame nails through the side bars, top, and bottom bars, then using pliers to bend a hook into each nail. He then wove a wire on the inside of the frame catching each hook in a diamond pattern. It took about half as much time as wiring through holes in the end bars.