winter losses - when do they occur

[dickbowyer]

My 3 hives and nuc seem to be doing ok with only very light "pecking" at fondant and flying today in the sunshine at 7 degrees. When can I be reasonably confident that they will get through the winter assuming I don't let them starve later on? Perhaps what I mean to say is when during the winter do the majority of losses occur?

 

[oliver90owner]

When can I be reasonably confident

When spring arrives.

RAB

 

[dickbowyer]

Thought that might be the answer Rab!

 

[BobH1]

When can I be reasonably confident

When spring arrives.

RAB

You can be over confident even then! They can starve in a poor spring or in the June gap. Bees need to be managed all year.

 

[Heather]

Already seen one gone in December- starvation- not mine...Just depends what they had on board before winter set in.

 

[Poly Hive]

What is very deceptive is looking down at the frames and seeing sealed stores. Ah then that's fine says the innocent.

BUT below that seemingly fullness in in face emptyness.

Starvation follows rapidly, and the innocent shouts in agony but they were full of stores.

Heft to be sure all, heft.

If in doubt feed, and please feed heavily, not a pound or a kilo but a decent 5kgs at least.

PH

 

[MuswellMetro]

Already seen one gone in December- starvation- not mine...Just depends what they had on board before winter set in.

in january the brood is low in numbers and clustered using little stored food, so i have found in my area they normally only die if stranded, so i feed 0.5k of fondant just to bridge the frames,

As spring progresses they break cluster the queen starts laying the brood and uncapped brood increase, so their food demand increase ex penitentially until they either they get a nectar flow or their store runs out, so i would say first week of March in MY AREA but it will differ in other parts of the UK weather and Bees, i normally put on 2.5k block end of February

but saying that one of my hives comes from a swarm of carnies ( my hospital case) and it is large hive ,this one has already consumed 3k, they are also not that light when hefted, so i expect they are breeding like rabbits

 

[Skyhook]

As I understand it the most likely month to die out is March- the beek thinks 'spring, that's OK then', but there may well be very little forage around. They start raising serious amounts of brood, food consumption rockets, suddenly their last bit of stores is gone.

 

[mbc]

As I understand it the most likely month to die out is March- the beek thinks 'spring, that's OK then', but there may well be very little forage around. They start raising serious amounts of brood, food consumption rockets, suddenly their last bit of stores is gone.

I agree, and despite what finman keeps telling us about feeding syrup in spring being counterproductive (if increased brood rearing is your aim ) I feed syrup in march and believe it not only avoids them starving but also increases brood rearing. Bees like balance and if you give them easy carbohydrates then more of their foraging efforts will be directed at collecting pollen to readdress their carbs/protein balance, and so feeding syrup indirectly helps them collect more food for brood.

 

[Finman]

I agree, and despite what finman keeps telling us about feeding syrup in spring being counterproductive (if increased brood rearing is your aim ) I feed syrup in march and believe it not only avoids them starving but also increases brood rearing. .

Yes but you are totally wrong. Beekeepers have so much "common sence knowledge".

If you read any real researches about bee nutrition they all say that you cannot add spring brooding with sugar. Yes I know. 80% of beekeepers are same opinion as you, but they are wrong. This is not voting issue.

Of course, if bees are near to starve then add them food. Every animal needs that.

Researches have been made in USA, Austaralia, Canada and in New Zealans.

New beebooks in Finland even not have a term "nutrition" on theur pages.

I know, I have read all nutrition reports.

.

 

[Finman]

i
but saying that one of my hives comes from a swarm of carnies ( my hospital case) and it is large hive ,this one has already consumed 3k, they are also not that light when hefted, so i expect they are breeding like rabbits

Carniolan bees has a big pollen store over winter. That is why it is capable to early build up.

Italain bees have hapbit to eate they pollen stores in autumn, Then they have a big cluster but not much pollen after winter.

When I started to feed Italian hives with pollen 20 years ago, they spring build up was exactly as good as carniolan hives.


Bees do not gather pollen in low temperatures, in rain or at night.

.

 

[mbc]

Why is it that orchardists in New Zealand pay handsomely for beekeepers to feed sugar syrup regularly to pollinating colonies in the kiwi fruit orchards ? Could it be that its in response to research which concluded bees do a better job pollinating ( by collecting more pollen ) when fed carbohydrates.

 

[Finman]

.
The longer the winter goes the shorter the food storage turn.

In autumn the hive consumes here 2 kg per month. In May it consumes 15 kg a month because its large brood area. Bee number is about the same.

As you have seen, bees may starve in the middle of summer if they have not storages to stand over rainy weathers.

 

[Finman]

Why is it that orchardists in New Zealand pay handsomely for beekeepers to feed sugar syrup regularly to pollinating colonies in the kiwi fruit orchards ? Could it be that its in response to research which concluded bees do a better job pollinating ( by collecting more pollen ) when fed carbohydrates.

Kiwi pollen has not at all cell slime. So bees get no nutrition from that pollen.

Alfa Alfa is another pollen, which has not enough nutritions. It is missing 2 aminoacids. Alfa alfa gives a huge nectar yield but soon hives have no brood. They must be transported to another pollen field to recover.