What temp is too cold to open the hive

[Xander]

I was late getting my APIvar treatment into the hive and it's now due to be removed.
With it being 0°C outside I'm guessing it's too cold to open the hive quickly and retrieve the strip?
What temperature is it safe to open up as I don't want a load of flying bees to come out and die instantly while trying to get back inside.
How long is it ok to leave the APIvar for over the recommended time?

 

[JamezF]

I would suggest that it's not at all ok to leave the strip in the hive as it may contribute to a build-up of resistance to Amitraz and on those grounds alone I'd bite the bullet and remove them regardless of the other potential consequences.

James

 

[Beesnaturally]

I would say its never too cold. Just be quick and don't disturb the cluster. The temperature is close to ambient on the outside of the cluster - and in some cases where there is a large entrance and a draught, simply ambient and draughty. I wouldn't choose to do it in a minus 4 gale, but that's as much for my sake as theirs.

A meditative word: Matchsticks!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I was late getting my APIvar treatment into the hive and it's now due to be removed.
With it being 0°C outside I'm guessing it's too cold to open the hive quickly and retrieve the strip?
What temperature is it safe to open up as I don't want a load of flying bees to come out and die instantly while trying to get back inside.
How long is it ok to leave the APIvar for over the recommended time?

Do it now. They will be clustered and I doubt any will fly up.

 

[madasafish]

I open mini nucs and nucs up - to feed them fondant on the top bars- in any dry windless weather in winter irrespective of the temperature.
I plan it so it's open, remove CB or plastic sheet, remove old fondant clingfilm, replace with new. Replace as found
Takes less than 1 minute.
If cold like today - -3C morning ,0C and calm and sunny as I write - bees would hardly move,
So minimal disturbance

(I always carry a lit smoker in case.. but on days like today too cold for bees to do anything.)

 

[drex]

Put fondant on a colony today. Did not bother with smoker. About 3 bees stuck their heads up and that was it. I was all prepared, took lless than a minute

 

[Murox]

Put fondant on a colony today. Did not bother with smoker. About 3 bees stuck their heads up and that was it. I was all prepared, took lless than a minute

Did exactly the same yesterday afternoon. No issues.

 

[Xander]

Thanks for all your advice. I'll do it tomorrow.

 

[enrico]

But ...... Put a note in your diary for next year not to leave it this late

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Or use another method of mite control instead of that muck

 

[JamezF]

Whilst weather forecasts seem to be notoriously unreliable these days, there's a fair size window of opportunity for removing Apivar strips. From memory the minimum treatment period is seven weeks (if they're broodless -- somewhat unlikely I reckon) and the maximum ten. If you're going for the maximum time then I think after eight weeks or so it's worth keeping an eye on what the weather situation is likely to be and plan for a few opportunities to remove the strips. Some of mine were really quite smothered in wax this year and I ended up having a couple of hives open far longer than I wanted to (I had to separate all the frames and move them apart).

I also found that a pair of pliers was useful when removing reluctant strips when they have been stuck with wax. I just couldn't get a good grip on one or two of mine with my fingers alone. That was despite me removing the strips after five weeks, scraping them and replacing them closer to the centre of the brood nest.

And again if you're planning to have them in for ten weeks I'd suggest putting them in as soon as you can after removing the supers. I got mine in within a week of taking them off this year, but next year I might actually do them at the same time.

James

 

[Xander]

I was a latecomer to having my first colony. I was promised a swarm that had been captured early summer for some tree work but the local "bee keeping on the "private housing estate " group" decided they didn't want the trees worked on so that was that. Miffed, I went and bought a colony at the end of August.
Ive had some fun, I didn't recognise a supersedure so squished the cells then panicked.
I gambled and bought a queen online end of September, I banked the old queen with the little brood she had and some stores in a nuc as my wife wouldn't let me euthanise her.
Luckily the new queen was accepted and laying like a train so I treated both colonies 25th October.
Both seem to be doing ok, just need to pull the apivar and leave them be until my real challenges begin in spring. (Do swarm/queen traps on the hives work?)
Many thanks for all your opinions, I feel confident to pull the strips, pliers at the ready tomorrow. Will post pics as I have a perspex crown board and last time I looked (2 weeks ago) the bees were all over every frame, business as usual..

 

[ericbeaumont]

Do swarm/queen traps on the hives work?

No, but nice try!

A quick fix to manage swarming will not serve you well, and preventing swarming in that way is stressful for bees.

Get ready and revise how to work an AS: read up on it, get spare kit ready, practise before the event.

Reading the moves can make it seem more complicated than it is, but doing it dry will embed the routine in your mind.

Takes only a few minutes in real life, so long as the queen is found; for that, mark her in spring when the colony is small.

 

[Xander]

I will take your advice, just investigating things I've seen on t' internet. I plan to do a bailey comb change first thing march-ish as the brood comb is really dark brown /mahogany so I recon due for a freshen up and to get rid of the chemicals from the apivar.
Then I guess it's a.s. when the time comes by nuc'ing the queen etc. Seems the hard bit is predicting the timing and reading the signs, also there's the option of going "double brood" to give more laying space and negate the need for an a.s?
I think there's a method in the bee's madness, just have to figure it out.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

try Demarree (the proper one, not the abortion many post on the web, good way of getting old comb out of the brood nest, also serves as a method of swarm avoidance

 

[Erichalfbee]

I plan to do a bailey comb change first thing march-ish as the brood comb is really dark brown /mahogany so I recon due for a freshen up and to get rid of the chemicals from the apivar.

Here's the method JBM mentions. Demaree

 

[fian]

I was a latecomer to having my first colony. I was promised a swarm that had been captured early summer for some tree work but the local "bee keeping on the "private housing estate " group" decided they didn't want the trees worked on so that was that. Miffed, I went and bought a colony at the end of August.
Ive had some fun, I didn't recognise a supersedure so squished the cells then panicked.
I gambled and bought a queen online end of September, I banked the old queen with the little brood she had and some stores in a nuc as my wife wouldn't let me euthanise her.
Luckily the new queen was accepted and laying like a train so I treated both colonies 25th October.
Both seem to be doing ok, just need to pull the apivar and leave them be until my real challenges begin in spring. (Do swarm/queen traps on the hives work?)
Many thanks for all your opinions, I feel confident to pull the strips, pliers at the ready tomorrow. Will post pics as I have a perspex crown board and last time I looked (2 weeks ago) the bees were all over every frame, business as usual..

In general, I would say any temperature that is higher than the dew point (the one from 100% air humidity condenses). The worst thing for bees is cold water.

 

[ericbeaumont]

investigating things I've seen on t' internet

Fair enough, but stick to UK sources. Best out there are Norfolk Honey Co and Black Mountain Honey.
https://youtube.com/@TheNorfolkHoneyCohttps://youtube.com/@BlackMountainHoney
Haynes Bee Manual is about the best beginner book.
https://www.books4people.co.uk/products/haynes-bee-manual

 

[Curly green finger's]

Did exactly the same yesterday afternoon. No issues.

More probs trying to get the bees of the cb when it’s cold than them flying at you feeding fondant to 39 colony’s today , still day but cold , rolled out 4/5 kgs inbetween parchment paper direct on the frames under a reversible cb

 

[Mabee]

I was late getting my APIvar treatment into the hive and it's now due to be removed.
With it being 0°C outside I'm guessing it's too cold to open the hive quickly and retrieve the strip?
What temperature is it safe to open up as I don't want a load of flying bees to come out and die instantly while trying to get back inside.
How long is it ok to leave the APIvar for over the recommended time?

Randy Oliver makes up nucs in the snow!! Not at all suggesting we all start doing that but bees are tougher than we think!

If you’re doing an OA dribble the hive needs to be opened in Dec /Jan so there are times when necessary! The strips should definitely be removed though.

I place mine with wires through the top holes, really easy to remove without much disruption.