# Moving out of sheds



## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

This is my first year messing with it so i'm very new on the shed wintering (aka dont listen to me). 
I am going to take mine out Saturday, it looks like our temps are close to the same, I might be a little warmer. 
The hives that are wintering outside started hauling a bit of maple pollen last week and have 2-3 fr of brood. I can not keep my shed cold since I am just using fans, so seeing weather in the high 50's on monday is making up my mind to get them out.

I kept them in the shed last week through that very warm spell it got up to 60F in the shed for a day, the bees looked ok they came out a bit but were not running. Working on a quote this week for a cooling system for next year. My yards are all on Sand so I don't have to worry to much about the mud. If you have any pictures of your air handling/cooling system and are ok with sharing i would be very interested to see it.
Nick


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

Thanks Nick,

I don't have a cooling system, but I can change all the air in the barn in under two mins. So the bees cannot run the temp higher than the outside temp.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

I basically move on the first week of late winter which allows flight with a cooperating long range forecast. 
Niagara is much different weather than here on the prairies. We tend to slip back to -20's within days of a weather shift. I like to make that move and be working bees everyday afterwards into spring. 

Yup, I battle mud but I also work at night usually on frost.


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

so you think if we're running 4c to 6c during the day and 0 at night, with no plans to work bees I should leave em in?


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

We will not see pollen for at least 6 week yet


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

B&E said:


> so you think if we're running 4c to 6c during the day and 0 at night, with no plans to work bees I should leave em in?


Oh, there is that question again lol 
I don't know. A shed holding at 6 is fine. A shed at 16 is trouble. 

The way I see it, if the hive will not start brooding and moving forwards with the weather you put them out into, leave them inside. No use subjecting them to unpredictable harshness for no reason. 

I know some guys strategize to keep them inside with coolers until the main pollen flow. Immediately initiating brooding


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

sounds like a plan. The pollen is there, but no weather in the forecast to get it.

I'm going to open one inside and look for brood. I'm positive they are brooding inside, even though it defies my logic.


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

Let us know how much brood you find.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

B&E said:


> sounds like a plan. The pollen is there, but no weather in the forecast to get it.
> 
> I'm going to open one inside and look for brood. I'm positive they are brooding inside, even though it defies my logic.


Lol ya I'd be interested to hear too.
Might be easier if you set a pallet outside for a day's flight then open them up. 
I can't bare the punishment opening hives indoors


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## jvalentour (Sep 4, 2014)

Exactly how is you shed set up? Is it dark 24/7? Heated? Zone?
What are the benefits of putting them out so early?
We plan to manage the hives as if winter is over about 2 weeks early. Not in sheds, sealed in 1" insulation boards. Feeding sugar blocks and first pollen 2/26/17.
I'm curious.


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

Pulled mine out Saturday and went through them today. Out of 200 I pulled out 4, Very happy with that! The doubles came out huge the singles look pretty good a few were late splits I might loose a few more of those they are sitting on about three frames. All the hives that I looked at had capped brood the doubles all were running 2 frames of brood but it was spotty. We gave them 1-2lbs of pollen sub and a feeder full of feed. 

Nick


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

Awesome! I actually didn't check mine yet.

Capped brood! I knew it. Incredible. It defies common sense.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

I'll check again this spring but I've yet to find winter brood 
Interesting 
Thx Nick, glad to hear they look good. 
My shed sits cozy, terrible blizzard right now, then a massive cold front sitting down on us.... wind is howelling !


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

Can It be the warmth? In my shed with the last few weeks it has gotten into the 50's a few times even hit 60f one day.


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

My gut says they have a way of knowing of how many days they have left to live, and know they need to repopulate. Idk though.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Ian said:


> My shed sits cozy, terrible blizzard right now, then a massive cold front sitting down on us.... wind is howelling !


Glad I missed it.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

If they are brooding patches in there...
Makes me wonder how it influences Varroa . 
I pulled a pallet of spring feed into the shop today, opened the doors to the wintershed. Not a bee broke cluster from the light. Unlike last year at this time of year ! , I moved them out this time last year.


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

Also interesting, this fall I took one yard of bees left half outside and half went inside. Saturday I put them back in the same yard. The indoor wintered ones have 1-2 frames of brood, the outdoor ones have maybe a frame of brood if that.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Michael Palmer said:


> Glad I missed it.


All western Manitoba roads are closed, zero visibility... 
We call these "Montana Maulers"


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

swarm_trapper said:


> Also interesting, this fall I took one yard of bees left half outside and half went inside. Saturday I put them back in the same yard. The indoor wintered ones have 1-2 frames of brood, the outdoor ones have maybe a frame of brood if that.


Lol, keep track and let us know which group performs the best through spring


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

will do. As of today both groups are at 3% dead outs, But The indoor hives are at least 3-4 frames bigger and more consistent. Also the amount of feed the indoor hives have is amazing they are very heavy yet, the outside hives are light and eating their candyboards.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

I noticed the consistency too after I started Wintering them inside. Then I shifted everything down to singles, and nucs because of their ability to winter 5 months on 30-40 lbs.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Ian said:


> All western Manitoba roads are closed, zero visibility...
> We call these "Montana Maulers"


Huh, I thought you lived in Miami.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Michael Palmer said:


> Huh, I thought you lived in Miami.


Lol yep like grandma use to say; Miami's ugly sister Miama 
Most of Manitoba is closed now. It's going to be a long night for motorists stranded on the roads... 
... March in like a Lion ...

I like having my bees inside


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

Ian said:


> ... March in like a Lion ...


Snow coming down here this morning, it's been brutal this year compared to years gone past. For some perspective, right now we have snow coming down. Looking back at my bloom records from the last few years, at this time last year, we had a few dandelions up in the lawn, same year before. In the last 3 years, first week of March saw daytime temps in the mid 20s (Celcius). We will be lucky if we get a decent thaw today. Forecast is snowfall warnings.

Driving up to Kamloops on Thursday, thinking we may have to take the long way thru the Fraser Canyon and avoid the Coquihalla.


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## texanbelchers (Aug 4, 2014)

swarm_trapper said:


> Can It be the warmth? In my shed with the last few weeks it has gotten into the 50's a few times even hit 60f one day.


I find it interesting you seem to be creating the Houston, TX environment in your shed. We dipped below 32F a couple nights, but mostly bounced 35 to 45 low and 50-70 high all "winter". You may be doing better than our 50-90% humidity. I suspect it is a lot less expensive than hauling them down here.


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

Grozzie, Nice to hear you guys aren't getting spring in February again this year. I have been jealous of you guys the past three years. 

And reports of how the bees look in the valleys there?


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

B&E said:


> Grozzie, Nice to hear you guys aren't getting spring in February again this year. I have been jealous of you guys the past three years.
> 
> And reports of how the bees look in the valleys there?


the comox valley group met last week, and did a poll around the room on the subject. It was interesting, about half the folks in the room said 80% or better, and a bunch said 'all dead'. The thing I found interesting in that poll, there didn't seem to be a correlation between survival and beekeeping experience. A lot of folks first and second year had good survival, and a few with 20+ years of beekeeping were saying 'all dead'.

But it aint over till it's over. Still darn cold here, heavy frost last nite, still have a few snow patches on the ground.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Whats this about a Montana Mauler? Weather is fine here though a little brisk in the high twenties, thirties yesterday. That weather all comes from the Great White North. Stay warm and safe all. We are supposed to have much much snow this weekend. We call it the Alberta Clipper.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Lol yup, warm wet Montana low collided with a strong cold artic air right over us. Shut down most of the province.
Good old Montana Mauler brought us one of Manitoba's finest blizzards ...
I'm ready for spring


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## Faith Apiaries (Apr 28, 2015)

Ian said:


> Lol yup, warm wet Montana low collided with a strong cold artic air right over us. Shut down most of the province.
> Good old Montana Mauler brought us one of Manitoba's finest blizzards ...
> I'm ready for spring


I've never see a storm last this long. Most of southern Manitoba has been at a stand-still since late Monday. Things are improving but still many major highways closed.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Is it getting too late for it to be a man caused global warming early spring? I am really sick of winter---Though not as sick of winter as I got when I lived a half mile south of Manitoba.


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## justin (Jun 16, 2007)

we got 18'' more in the last 3 days, that is on top of a lot of snow that was already here. i had to go dig test holes to find the forks for my skidsteer. luckily i could kind of see my feed totes sticking through. glad my bees are in california. i should be joining them monday.


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

Still got mine inside. It's cold this weekend. Glad I didn't over react before. There's no flying weather in the forecast


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Cold , no reason to set them out yet


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## McBee7 (Dec 25, 2013)

I small scale indoor winter and all the hives have a landing board to the outside and they want NOTHING to do with the REAL mother nature...They have had cleansing flights and orintation flights on sunny/windless days above 32 but for now they are content to start this years brood inside the shed. I have uped the temp to over 50F and provided pollen sub and sugar blocks and will soon give syrup, but for now it looks like maybe mid to late april before I even think about putting them outside....

==McBee7==


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

Got one of 2 barns emptied this morning. It's still -6c out, but you can't drive anywhere. The sun has so much power at this time of year. We'll do the second building tonight. Supposed to be cold enough to make things nice and solid. 

Then that's it for Temps below freezing in the long range. Strange spring. Bees hauled pollen yesterday, and then two nights at -10c.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Looks like next week we will be moving


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

Ian said:


> Looks like next week we will be moving


The season of lazing around in front of the tube is rapidly coming to an end. All those pounds that migrated from the shoulders down to the waistline over the winter will soon be starting the annual migration from waistline back to shoulders....


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Ha ha ha, something like that


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

Well Gentlemen, we finished this morning. Moved out the final 1100 singles, plus the nucs. I just got in from checking the ones we moved out yesterday morning. 

It was -1c and sunny while looking at these and has been -9c 2 hours ago. The myth is busted. Bees indoors can and do brood! Although now I'm even more confused. Ian, I can see from your pics that your singles are every bit as good as mine or better, but why don't they brood indoors? I honestly don't even know what to guess. I'm trying hard to get some pics on here, but as you know the uploader is difficult.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

I use photobucket. Upload a pic, then go to share, copy the image code, paste it here... I wants to see that indoor brood!

I'm going to move my hives out next week, above normal temps are sweeping through!! :thumbsup: 
I will take a good *peak* into some of my hives then
You know how much I hate assumptions, yet I run most of my business along those lines...and the reason I poke away with silly things to help better understand.
we will see, wanta put a wager on that there is nothing,?


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

trying hard here...


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

If you are having issues uploading photos directly to Beesource, the most likely problem is that those images are too large. The uploader will not accept oversize images, but IIRC it does not say that in _plain English_.

To fix that, reduce your images to no more than 600x600 pixels. If you don't already have a convenient way to resize photos, a free online site like this one works well:
http://www.picresize.com/

An alternative to uploading photos directly is to upload them to a hosting site and then post the link to that specific photo here. For instance, _Ian_ uses a free account at photobucket.com to host many of the images that are in his posts. Some photo hosts, including Photobucket, also ease the process of uploading from phones by accepting images emailed [to your existing account] directly from your phone.

You can display images any size you want if you simply provide a clickable link to your Photobucket image. You can also display Photobucket images "inline" (no clicking required to display here, the images show automatically) at Beesource, but the default Photobucket size is oversize by Beesource standards. One can use tools at Photobucket to reduce image size to a smaller size to meet Beesource requirements, or just post a clickable link to avoid resizing issues altogether.


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)




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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

I think I got it now. The brood is not the best obviously, but it was indoors. All the good ones have about 4-5 sides layed like this.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

oh nice hives, that makes me want to beekeep!!

I SEE RUTS lol


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Yes Id call that brooding, not beautiful, but brooding all the same
maybe Ive seen that too, but sketcher, and never considered it enough to consider brooding.


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

Yeah, we may or may not have broken through the crust once or twice.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

Have you had a look at the ones you wintered outside? How do they compare?


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

Yes looked at a bunch. The outside ones have way more brood, and have already hatched a round or 2. Seeing drones...lots of them. What does that tell me? No need for patties I think.


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