winter bee numbers?

[beeboybee]

How many bees would roughly be in a healthy winter colony?
lets presume its a wood standard national and started as a Healthy 5 frame NUC last may.
would it be be bigger or smaller than that original NUC?

 

[Baggyone]

I can only go on last years experience so heres mine.

6 frame thornes nuc in may. double brood by winter time. came out of winter with virtually all frames covered (note not brood) in april when i did first inspection. my thing would be yes they are bigger than the nuc.

baggy

 

[RoofTops]

The standard figures quoted are 50,000 bees in summer and 5,000 in winter. I think the decimal points are in the right place but actual numbers will differ a bit due to many factors.

 

[Finman]

.
Smallest number what I have heard is 10 workers and queen after winter.

Nosema may kill workers so that there are often only coffee cup size colony in the hive.

There is no stardard size to wintered colony. It may be 40 000 - 10 workers.

 

[Finman]

The standard figures quoted are 50,000 bees in summer and 5,000 in winter. I think the decimal points are in the right place but actual numbers will differ a bit due to many factors.

not decimal...but thousand separator

In summer 10 000 bees occupyes 5 langstroth frames. When they are in cluster, no one can say how many workers are in the hive. but as long as they are alive it does not matter how much they are and if they are dead, it does not matter either.

 

[Finman]

.
When I start with 5 frame nuc in May, the hive has 5-7 box in July. It may overwinter in one or two box. However. It should be normal size hive in August and normal size cluster.

Problems may occur what ever. It may fill the hive with rape honey and a swarm escapes. Or the beekeeper fills the hive with syrup and colony has no space to build up.

 

[Friar Tuck]

I was told (ISH)

september adult bees = 70,000 Brood 30,000
October falling = 50,000 20,000

by Feb 15,000 under 10K
March 15,000 Near 10K
April 20,000 20,000
May 50,000 40,000
June 60.000 55,000

so on so on ....