# Prairie Beekeepers Skip Fall And Dive Right Into Winter



## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

Not a good picture. Getting rain with mixed snow this AM. Temp is 1C, and snow is melting.

I have never seen snow stay when it comes this early and I am pretty long in the tooth. A heavy snow in mid October can often never melt till spring.

Will likely get a killing frost this week and any nectar is over. It has been mostly over for the past 4-6 weeks as there has been no rain. Bees haven't made much progress storing additional honey in last 6 weeks. Fortunately, we had a good run from mid June to third week of July. I was pulling honey frames weekly to maintain open comb and returning wet frames and got 599 lbs from my two production hives. Extracting weekly was getting tiresome year and am honey bound. Made some progress getting some more honey frames drawn.

All honey supers are off, feeding the light hives with syrup, saved some honey frames to redistribute, have done two OA treatments, and will feed all hives a further gallon in next few weeks.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

I got a longer range forecast of warming after this cold slips through. That should make for good feeding and fall prep conditions. But like most long range forecasts... Like the rest of them this year, it means the opposite


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

I got a report that hives near the Edmonton area were short of pollen on account of the dry weather that mgolden writes about. This will be hard on bees to overwinter well. The shortage of pollen caused a reduction in brood rearing. Generally speaking bees will be old going into winter. Buddy is predicting higher than normal losses this year. I agree.

Jean-Marc


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## Allen Martens (Jan 13, 2007)

Manitoba was in this situation 2 years ago. Results weren't pretty.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Let's hope the forecast for warmer weather this coming week holds true. Not sure I have ever seen a summer of poorer weather forecasting. We have come up dry on forecasts of heavy rain and seen rain clouds out of the blue when forecasters put our chances of precip. At 0%. Ever notice how many varying forecasts can be found on different weather sites? All in all, quite frustrating when trying to plan a productive day.


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## MNbees (May 27, 2013)

Yes Jim I will second that. Makes planning a week or even a few days very difficult. Sunny and 79 ends up being rainy and 67.

Looks like huge golden rod flow in east texas starting in a few weeks. Time to pack up and hit the road. Seya there!


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

MNbees said:


> Yes Jim I will second that. Makes planning a week or even a few days very difficult. Sunny and 79 ends up being rainy and 67.
> 
> Looks like huge golden rod flow in east texas starting in a few weeks. Time to pack up and hit the road. Seya there!


Wish I could make it this early. Still some first round to pull and another couple weeks of extracting ahead then second rounds on most, feeding and some hive prep. Be lucky to make it by the first week of November. We did take the time to get mite treatments on about 90% though.


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## babybee (Mar 23, 2012)

Weather manipulation? Or just incapable weather persons? Lol


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## MNbees (May 27, 2013)

jim lyon said:


> Wish I could make it this early. Still some first round to pull and another couple weeks of extracting ahead then second rounds on most, feeding and some hive prep. Be lucky to make it by the first week of November. We did take the time to get mite treatments on about 90% though.


We are in the same spot as you guys, should finish the last 20 yards of the first round this week. If its warm like they say.
I am gonna try to get some bees down there early October and see how they do.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

We have feed on all our hives and all arrows point towards winter!! The hives should be ready by Oct 1. 

All I can say is, screw you weather...


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

It was pushing 90 here today and the feed was disappearing at quite a pace! Weather in the upper seventies and not too cold at night for the next ten days. I can't say screw you winter as I winter out on the prairie but Things are looking pretty good as far as getting them fattened up for winter. A river of pollen coming in every morning. I saw a jumbo orientation flight this afternoon that I had to look twice to make sure wasn't robbing.


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## Moon (May 7, 2011)

I've got the same thing going on right now Vance. Was out at one of the yards yesterday afternoon putting empty supers back on for them to clean up the residual honey left on the comb and it looked like they were bringing in a pile of pollen and were still filling some of the frames with nectar? Not sure what's throwing off nectar right now but two years ago there was a late fall flow that my colonies pulled quite a bit off of.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Feels like summer again here...lol


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## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

Was talking to the fellow that rents part of my land and wheat is dry but grain temp is 34C. Going to put it in an aeration bin to cool it off. Go figure.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

mgolden said:


> Was talking to the fellow that rents part of my land and wheat is dry but grain temp is 34C. Going to put it in an aeration bin to cool it off. Go figure.


thats a good plan, that is a recipe for bugs infestation! Air will knock them out, if they are there


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