Wintering bees, how many dead?

[Dishmop]

and a few relieving themselves close to the hive!.
at least i feel a bit less concerned now.

I bet you were going to write that you are relieved...

 

[kazmcc]

I bet you were going to write that you are relieved...

lol, heh heh heh

 

[Gardenbees]

don't worry Kaz: I find it difficult to hear my bees when tapping them in very cold weather, but the faint honey scent from the hive entrance is a good sign that they're still in there and keeping themselves warm enough. A hive with no scent at all at the entrance except for a sort of cold mouldiness is less promising, but even then I've had an ominously silent hive start flying again in spring. It's amazing what they can get through.

The time to get more anxious, in my experience, is in spring when they can get caught out by unpredictable weather and run themselves out of stores despite appearing to be an active colony.

 

[Finman]

that is anything from 10-50 per day

Remember also that is an average.

What do you do with average. You do not know how many bees are inside. How do you know the dead ones. Why you should know?'

The only anwer you know in early spring how big cluster you have. It doe not help what ever you callulate, evaluate or open the cover.

YOU CAN ONLY DISTURB THEM. But never mind. You can buy a new colony.

Remember take them inside to look Cristmas tree.

 

[MrB]

YOU CAN ONLY DISTURB THEM. But never mind. You can buy a new colony.

Remember take them inside to look Cristmas tree.

What a sense of humour!

 

[Gardenbees]

Awww... Finman, I now have a lovely vision of your Christmas tree with several thousand small presents hanging up, one for each bee

 

[Vergilius]

What a sense of humour!

No wonder Finland has produced some of the greatest comedians of all time!

NOT! LOL!!!

Ben P

 

[drstitson]

dead bees

when i removed the crownboards from my porches at the weekend after 10 days there were around 50 dead bees outside each hive entrance.

each hive running at 12.4 degrees internally.

light bee activity outside hives when in receipt of full sun over last few days.

 

[kazmcc]

Thanks guys, just needed some reassurance of what to expect for my first winter. Trust it to be an arctic one....tut lol, I'd have had concerns in a normal chilly winter but this was a surprise! Pretty sure they know what they are doing. I have to learn to trust nature.

Thanks again

 

[Rosti]

trust nature by all means, but if you arrive at the hive and find there is a newly arrived, decorated Christmas tree near by and a fake light effect log fire beware, it's probably Finman trying to lure your bees out of their hive to a certain death.

 

[kazmcc]

Thanks Rosti. I will certainly watch out for that. Why, if he tries to lure my bees away with his little plastic tree! I'll.......

I think we should all keep our eye out for that, it could become the new winter worry in beekeeping lol

 

[Finman]

A big hive has about 30 000 bees. If half of bees die during 100 days, it is 150 bees a day

If 10% die during 100 days it is 30 bees a day.

 

[kazmcc]

A big hive has about 30 000 bees. If half of bees die during 100 days, it is 150 bees a day

If 10% die during 100 days it is 30 bees a day.

Thanks Finman. That's what I needed, so roughly what I'm getting it looks like. I think the birds are taking some, we have a lot of robins and blue tits there.

 

[Biddly]

I went to look at my two hives this afternoon and as i neared one i saw a small bird under the hive, balanced on the ledge underneath the OMF pecking at the OMF. I put a board on the floor and lay down and peered at the OMF, there was a build up of dead bees in the middle but the edges were clear and the mouseguard at the front is not blocked. should i use an extendend coat hanger or the like to sweep the dead bees out ? Only the odd bee or two has been flying this week ( as expected in this weather ) and we are due possibly heavy snow this evening/tomorrow. Thank you for your help.

 

[Hombre]

Thanks Finman. That's what I needed, so roughly what I'm getting it looks like. I think the birds are taking some, we have a lot of robins and blue tits there.

Yes, the robins will be dining on the dead bees while the ground is frozen. Commiserations, the temperatures are set to fall again, so wrap up warmly . . .

Some beeks seem to be having problems with green wooden peckers.

 

[kazmcc]

Yes, the robins will be dining on the dead bees while the ground is frozen. Commiserations, the temperatures are set to fall again, so wrap up warmly . . .

Some beeks seem to be having problems with green wooden peckers.

Yep, just got our next snow. I left the board out so there's not much else to do but sit it out. I have a good feeling about them though. We'll see after Christmas when we OA them.

 

[psafloyd]

Guys from my division did the OA today, despite the snow. In and out and I then I put some chicken wire round the hive just in case I was unlucky to get a woodpecker on my site.

 

[Hombre]

Yep, just got our next snow. I left the board out so there's not much else to do but sit it out. I have a good feeling about them though. We'll see after Christmas when we OA them.

Kazmcc, i'm not saying a word, but would save the OA for the bees . . .glad to know the relationship is still working well though . . .[SLAP] I just love double entendre.

On a more serious note (you didn't realise?) I think that you have displayed a growing awareness throughout the year and come across as a lot more confident about the whole business of late. I detect that you are comfortable that the bees buried in their snow covered box/es are doing just fine.

Picture: five colonies, a pile of kit and a dustbin type incinerator at 2pm Saturday. the snow finished at 5pm..

 

[kazmcc]

Kazmcc, i'm not saying a word, but would save the OA for the bees . . .glad to know the relationship is still working well though . . .[SLAP] I just love double entendre.

On a more serious note (you didn't realise?) I think that you have displayed a growing awareness throughout the year and come across as a lot more confident about the whole business of late. I detect that you are comfortable that the bees buried in their snow covered box/es are doing just fine.

Picture: five colonies, a pile of kit and a dustbin type incinerator at 2pm Saturday. the snow finished at 5pm..

WOW. That's some snow! Ours is nothing like that, but enough to build a snowman heehee. Thanks for the confidence boost, yeah, I'm pretty confident about them. I have a really good mentor who answers any questions I have, and I think I've read pretty much every thread on here lol. It's just sometimes it doesn't sink in, so it needs repeating, there is so much to bee keeping than I thought. My friend sent me some pictures of my first hive visit in July, and it brought it all back, how terrified I was, and how I pretty much needed to be held up because I was shaking so badly lol, how things change huh? I love those bees now, and miss them buzzing by my head and landing on me.

 

[Peter Cox]

should i use an extendend coat hanger or the like to sweep the dead bees out ? Only the odd bee or two has been flying this week ( as expected in this weather ) and we are due possibly heavy snow this evening/tomorrow. Thank you for your help.

Hook end of a hive tool does it quite well.