Winter beneath the crown board.

[Nordicul]

Ok Millet,
Good video...if it's good enough for Stewart of Norfolk Honey Co and good enough for you (sans cling film, plus G P paper) it should be good enough for me ��

 

[Nordicul]

Thanks Beespace for comment, good to know I'm not alone with this.

Good quality pic and I can see heaps of bees, no wonder they said mine was light...though you do have the fondant on the go and I presume that would pull more bees up top?

Good point too about getting the bees out of the tub...if you figure how to do it let me know.

Nordicul

 

[Millet]

Ok Millet,
Good video...if it's good enough for Stewart of Norfolk Honey Co and good enough for you (sans cling film, plus G P paper) it should be good enough for me ��

 

[Millet]

particularly with the cluster already at the top of the frames. There's no capped honey above their heads - so, they won't be able to reach food if there is a long cold snap unless they have fondant above their heads.

Kitta

 

[Nordicul]

Mellifera,
Again a lot of sharp observations and good advice with a rationale. Though I need to digest a lot of this, I do feel much more informed and less panicked ..
..remains to be seen how panicked my bees will be about my future actions !!!

Thanks again.
Nordicul

 

[Poly Hive]

I was looking at a vid from the NHC and was frankly amazed to see porter bee escape holes OPEN in Winter and NO insulation at all.

Seems the message ain't quite there yet after some 35 years....

PH

 

[BeeSpace]

Thanks Beespace for comment, good to know I'm not alone with this.

Good quality pic and I can see heaps of bees, no wonder they said mine was light...though you do have the fondant on the go and I presume that would pull more bees up top?

Good point too about getting the bees out of the tub...if you figure how to do it let me know.

Nordicul

I expect the fondant has pulled the bees up - I was quite surprised with how many were there to be honest as none of my colonies are strong, for various reasons. Also surprised they were taking the fondant as they were doing okay for stores. None of the others were 'up top' like that, although one certainly has comparable numbers I believe.

My weakest has far, far fewer bees than yours; it gave up the will to live and I didn't expect it to make it through the winter (varroa problem, possible nosema, queen went off lay for four weeks, wouldn't take syrup, no stores) but has now decided it doesn't want to shuffle off as yet and there's a miserable small cluster of bees frantically shovelling down as much fondant as they can get hold of. I'll support them as well as I can through winter (didn't want to combine due to concerns re nosema etc), but I suspect it's going to be grim. They were a massive colony three and a half months ago, when they came to me. So sad, but you live and learn. Will give them the best chance I can and take what I can from the experience, be it positive or negative, and become a better beekeeper because of it hopefully.

As for getting bees out of the tubs - I'm thinking a light puff of smoke, quick prayer and see how it goes

 

[alfazer]

Just on your thoughts about how to feed fondant... I use a clear plastic take-away container with its snap on lid. I cut a hole about 40mm diameter in the base with a soldering iron or a hot metal skewer. I place this over my feed hole which in most of my boards is dia 35mm. The bees have no problem accessing it. To refill, I just lift the lid slightly and give one puff of smoke which drives most of the bees down. Refill if needed and pop on the lid again. No need to remove the container and no mess.

 

[thedozzer]

I was looking at a vid from the NHC and was frankly amazed to see porter bee escape holes OPEN in Winter and NO insulation at all.

Seems the message ain't quite there yet after some 35 years....

PH

we went to the HNS on Saturday and sat through the beginners lectures, and on the first one, Roger Patterson was on about how you should not close the hole on the crown board and not block the top ventilation to help create a chimney affect to help stop damp, I know close to nothing about bees but it didn't sound like something you should do if you want you keep the bees warm??

 

[Hivemaker.]

I know close to nothing about bees but it didn't sound like something you should do if you want you keep the bees warm??

That helps to keep them cool.

 

[thedozzer]

That helps to keep them cool.

but it was a talk about how to get the best set-up for winter!

 

[Erichalfbee]

we went to the HNS on Saturday and sat through the beginners lectures, and on the first one, Roger Patterson was on about how you should not close the hole on the crown board and not block the top ventilation to help create a chimney affect to help stop damp, I know close to nothing about bees but it didn't sound like something you should do if you want you keep the bees warm??

Some of Roger’s ideas are somewhat outdated
He’s on the lecture circuit and he takes his dog. She’s great. Makes more sense than him.

 

[Hivemaker.]

but it was a talk about how to get the best set-up for winter!

And to Roger and many others keeping them cool is the best set up for winter.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Some of Roger’s ideas are somewhat outdated
He’s on the lecture circuit and he takes his dog. She’s great. Makes more sense than him.

Perhaps being forced to live in a dwelling with the loft hatch fixed open would create,a revision of his thoughts?

 

[thedozzer]

And to Roger and many others keeping them cool is the best set up for winter.

Maybe it works for them?
but i thought that the idea was to help them keep as warm as possible so they didn't run out of fuel?
each to their own!

 

[user 6228]

Perhaps being forced to live in a dwelling with the loft hatch fixed open would create,a revision of his thoughts?

The correct analogy is the loft hatch open on a 1940's bungalow that has no loft insulation, single glazed windows with metal frames. It makes little difference. Its down right parky, loft hatch closed or open. (It was useful for stopping the pipes freezing)

 

[madasafish]

Maybe it works for them?
but i thought that the idea was to help them keep as warm as possible so they didn't run out of fuel?
each to their own!

Roger lives in the South of England : West Sussex to be precise.

Weather stats https://www.yr.no/place/United_Kingdom/England/West_Sussex/statistics.html

show NO days in winter where the average temperature is below 0C. So totally and utterly unrepresentative for anyone living North of the Wash..

(When I see debates on insulation, the first thing I do is look where the participants live and ignore anyone South of the Wash - not because they are ignorant and wrong - but because they live in balmy winter conditions where a semi competent beekeeper should be able to overwinter anything.)

I would expect experienced beekeepers to allow for different weather conditions in other parts of the UK...