What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Millet]

A quick inspection to check stores, as the temperature was a roasting 12°C today. We found five full frames of honey towards the outer edges of the brood box, and the bees had mostly been ignoring anything outside the cluster, so we moved one full frame into the centre of the box. Saw the queen and she had been laying a bit (some larvae and capped brood were visible), and the bees at the entrance were now bringing back greyish white pollen too.
The weather looks to be about the same for the next 10 days or so, and hopefully at the next inspection there will be more bees (or at least more brood)

Is it wise to open up and move the frames about at this time of the year, i would have thought 12C is still a tad cold to be pulling the brood box apart..

 

[snelgrove]

Is it wise to open up and move the frames about at this time of the year, i would have thought 12C is still a tad cold to be pulling the brood box apart..

Not in my opinion, not only to cold , it's the upset that arises when frames are lifted out at this time of the year. Bees should be left alone till April, apart from hefting or a quick look under coverboard

 

[Chriszog]

14 Degrees in the Sunshine today, all hives very active bringing in yellow and off-white Pollen. Also saw them on Mahonia, crocus and Snowdrop, happy days!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Is it wise to open up and move the frames about at this time of the year, i would have thought 12C is still a tad cold to be pulling the brood box apart..

It's fine. You're not pulling the box apart, simply moving frames. If you suspect that the bees have become isolated from the stores it's by far the best thing to do. I would have gone one further and moved all the frames along and put the empty ones at the end

 

[snelgrove]

It's fine. You're not pulling the box apart, simply moving frames. If you suspect that the bees have become isolated from the stores it's by far the best thing to do. I would have gone one further and moved all the frames along and put the empty ones at the end

If isolated from stores put a block of fondant above them, then feed syrup later in march. Far better than moving frames about in winter, yes still winter. The disturbance that you cause by moving frames causes increased food consumption and stress within the colony.

 

[Swarm]

Moving stores alongside the brood/cluster is no big deal but putting a full frame of stores into the centre?
Bees don't do that do they?

 

[madasafish]

14 Degrees in the Sunshine today, all hives very active bringing in yellow and off-white Pollen. Also saw them on Mahonia, crocus and Snowdrop, happy days!!

8C today and cats and dogs weather... A flying bee is a soon to be dead bee.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Moving stores alongside the brood/cluster is no big deal but putting a full frame of stores into the centre?
Bees don't do that do they?

I took it that he has an 11 frame box and moved a frame of stores into the middle of the box next to the bees. If he actually split the cluster with that frame then that's daft!

If isolated from stores put a block of fondant above them, then feed syrup later in march. Far better than moving frames about in winter, yes still winter. The disturbance that you cause by moving frames causes increased food consumption and stress within the colony.

I've done it with no untoward sequelae. Takes 30 seconds

 

[amigadave]

Moving stores alongside the brood/cluster is no big deal but putting a full frame of stores into the centre?
Bees don't do that do they?

Oddly, I have a 12-frame box, and moved the stores from the edge (position 1) to position 6. The bees (for whatever reason) are clustering on frames 7, 8, 9 and 10 at the moment, so the frame is in the centre of the box but at the edge of the cluster.
The other reason for opening up at this point was to move the crown board down from above a super (used as an eke for some fondant that was placed above the cluster in January). so that it could be placed on top of the brood box and the super removed. Hopefully, some energy will be saved by the bees not having to heat the super of air. It's not ideal to inspect at this time of year, but it is the best chance that I was going to get for a while, given the temperature, and hopefully I won't have to do so again until late March.
I definitely appreciate the input and advice, by the way, as I am still a novice.

 

[Little John]

A gorgeous day - not excessively warm, but very pleasant indeed in the sun. All hives put on a good display for an hour or two. My crazy nuc was out showing-off all day (of course) - all the other nucs were far more circumspect. Forecast for the next two weeks is for warm weather (in February !) - hope the girls don't get any wild ideas, just in case things turn pear-shaped.

Moving frames in February ? Strewth - I wouldn't even lift my Crown Boards yet awhile. Should they run short of stores, they can simply come up through the Crown Board feeder hole and get some fondant. But most haven't touched it yet.
LJ

 

[Millet]

If isolated from stores put a block of fondant above them, then feed syrup later in march. Far better than moving frames about in winter, yes still winter. The disturbance that you cause by moving frames causes increased food consumption and stress within the colony.

That is my uneducated thinking also, now the bees will have to warm the hive up i presume to make wax to stick it all back together, which in turn will mean more food consumption and more unneeded stress and activity, these winter bees will be tired and at the end of there life soon enough without giving them added work to do, mine will be left alone for a good while yet apart from fondant duties..

 

[drex]

The other reason for opening up at this point was to move the crown board down from above a super (used as an eke for some fondant that was placed above the cluster in January). so that it could be placed on top of the brood box and the super removed. Hopefully, some energy will be saved by the bees not having to heat the super of air. It's not ideal to inspect at this time of year, but it is the best chance that I was going to get for a while, given the temperature, and hopefully I won't have to do so again until late March.
I definitely appreciate the input and advice, by the way, as I am still a novice.

Their consumption of food will start to increase dramatically now since brood rearing will be ramping up, so it is likely they will need fondant more now than they would have in January. I have several 2 inch deep ekes I use to give space for fondant. Very easy to knock up, and less space for them to heat. I bunged more fondant on several of mine today. If you decide to replace that super pack out any spare space with insulation ( in the past I have used bubble wrap inside a heavy duty carrier bag)

 

[Erichalfbee]

That is my uneducated thinking also, now the bees will have to warm the hive up i presume to make wax to stick it all back together, which in turn will mean more food consumption and more unneeded stress and activity, these winter bees will be tired and at the end of there life soon enough without giving them added work to do, mine will be left alone for a good while yet apart from fondant duties..

Put the crownboard back the same way it was and tighten the strap well. Box will be sealed as well as it was before you opened it. If bees are isolated from the stores and not under the feeder hole how are they going to find the fondant? Lots of people put fondant on top bars. You still have to take the top off for that and to my mind the bees own stores are better than fondant and the op wouldn't be left with five frames of stores in the box come spring

 

[Millet]

Put the crownboard back the same way it was and tighten the strap well. Box will be sealed as well as it was before you opened it. If bees are isolated from the stores and not under the feeder hole how are they going to find the fondant? Lots of people put fondant on top bars. You still have to take the top off for that and to my mind the bees own stores are better than fondant and the op wouldn't be left with five frames of stores in the box come spring

I will not remove the crown board let alone pull the heart of the colony apart in these cold months and cold months ahead, for some reason my common sense is against such actions.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I will not remove the crown board let alone pull the heart of the colony apart in these cold months and cold months ahead, for some reason my common sense is against such actions.

Ha....I wouldn't be opening mine now they are in poly hives. They all happily walk about over all the frames and all over the top bars. I was just explaining an event when a beekeeper might, especially as there is no pulling hearts about...the cluster isn't touched and don't react....a bit like trickling oxalic on Christmas day to get away from the relatives

 

[Little John]

If bees are isolated from the stores and not under the feeder hole how are they going to find the fondant?

I don't see the problem here. If it was really cold and the bees were tightly clustered - sure, then fondant placement could be a problem. But right now, and my guess for the rest of this 'winter', there won't be any tight clustering going on, and so there's virtually no risk of isolation starvation.

Before I put my small jars of fondant over the Crown Board feeder holes, I smear a small dollop of honey onto the fondant's surface - that way, the bees can smell honey through the slits in the plastic - to give 'em an initial clue. They haven't failed to find the fondant yet !

I would say directly on the top bars is a better method if the weather is bone-chillingly cold - but to prevent spring starvation - which is my main concern, and what I target - over a Crown Board hole is fine.
LJ

 

[Millet]

Ha....I wouldn't be opening mine now they are in poly hives. They all happily walk about over all the frames and all over the top bars. I was just explaining an event when a beekeeper might, especially as there is no pulling hearts about...the cluster isn't touched and don't react....a bit like trickling oxalic on Christmas day to get away from the relatives

I'm clueless here Erica, so what you say is taken as gospel my little mentor..

 

[JWF]

The way mine came out of the small hole in the crown board when I changed the fondant over at the weekend I'd suggest that there is no way they could fail to find fondant - they were lively to say the least.

 

[amigadave]

I put fondant over the feeder hole in the crown board in early January, but even after smearing a bit around the hole in the board to tempt them, the bees still did not come up. They started feeding in earnest once I put the fondant directly on the top bars. I didn't try Little John's trick with some honey on the fondant, but I will give it a go next time.
Thanks to drewx for the tip about insulating the super, also something that I will try next time (unless I manage to make up an eke beforehand).

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm clueless here Erica, so what you say is taken as gospel my little mentor..

Twit!