# Let's see your snowpiaries!



## jhinshaw (Aug 14, 2014)

Pretty much buried here and it's still snowing!


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## AWB (Feb 23, 2015)

I'm in Lebanon. We've only got about 5".


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## jhinshaw (Aug 14, 2014)

AWB said:


> I'm in Lebanon. We've only got about 5".


Not bad though! Still snowing here but we're around 18-20" so far!


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## Dominic (Jul 12, 2013)

Not all that much snow this year: https://www.facebook.com/Apis.rustica/photos/a.491438157596003.1073741828.475217419218077/984415884964892/?type=3&theater


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Mid to upper 50's today. All 21 of 21 still flying. Even the 5 over 5 ( mediums) are doing well ( the white boxes). We don't usually have this much snow on the ground all winter.








More snow is forecast for tomorrow - just in time for the big game. At least we aren't in Foxborough!


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## Bass (Mar 30, 2015)

Mine are buried, we got 30" of snow, and still going. Should I be concerned? should I be shoveling snow around them?


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## DPBsbees (Apr 14, 2011)

Bass said:


> Mine are buried, we got 30" of snow, and still going. Should I be concerned? should I be shoveling snow around them?


I'd like to hear Michael Palmer's reply to this. He deals with way more hives than us in the snow.


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## SAS (Sep 4, 2015)

Colobee said:


> Mid to upper 50's today. All 21 of 21 still flying. Even the 5 over 5 ( mediums) are doing well ( the white boxes). We don't usually have this much snow on the ground all winter.
> View attachment 22685
> 
> 
> More snow is forecast for tomorrow - just in time for the big game. At least we aren't in Foxborough!


Hello Colobee!

Mid to upper 50's!! Here on the western-slope, we haven't seen mid to upper 50's for I don't know how long. The best we've been getting in my area, is mid to upper 40's at best, and not very many of them. 

I have ~6"-8" of snow I the ground at my house, it has been here (on the ground) since before Christmas, melts a little bit, then it snows again, been like that all winter.

It's been a few years since I have seen 2 feet plus of snow from one storm down here in the valley, but it does happen on occasion. Good luck to all of you back east!


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## DPBsbees (Apr 14, 2011)

SAS said:


> It's been a few years since I have seen 2 feet plus of snow from one storm down here in the valley, but it does happen on occasion. Good luck to all of you back east!


Thanks, I think I have 30 inches and it's still snowing.


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## SAS (Sep 4, 2015)

Bass said:


> Mine are buried, we got 30" of snow, and still going. Should I be concerned? should I be shoveling snow around them?


You should be fine, they will still get oxygen enough to breath through the snow. 

I would however make sure the entrance's are clear once the snow stops, or lets up.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

I would show mine, But, OH WELL, we haven't had any now here in N.W PA yet. Now the rest of you who do not live in the lake effect show belt know how we feel every other year. Nahaha teehee :lpf:


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## mcon672 (Mar 5, 2015)




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## jhinshaw (Aug 14, 2014)

DPBsbees said:


> I'd like to hear Michael Palmer's reply to this. He deals with way more hives than us in the snow.


Michael Palmer had an old post about this I dug up researching this same thing earlier this morning. Can't quote it exactly but the gist was that the bees won't suffocate over a couple days so it isn't pressing that you dig them out immediately, even without a top entrance. One person told a story of their apiary being so buried that they ended up walking on the hives on their way out to dig them out lol. In that story the space around the hives had actually melted because of the heat the hives generated.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

Weatherman got it way wrong for our area. Only supposed to be an inch or two, so I didn't wrap the hives before the storm. At 4pm Sat, with many inches of snow and 40 mile per hour winds, I decided the girls could use a break. Thermometers inside the hive still read that they are doing fine, but I feel better by having wrapped them. Was kinda funny, 3 guard bees came out to see what I was doing on one hive. Of course they fell down in the snow. Had to take them inside with me to warm up until Monday.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I don't worry about it. Too many hives in too many apiaries too far spread out. 

I do feel better if the hive has an upper entrance, but I've seen plenty of colonies winter well with their upper entrance closed with propolis, and snow nearly burying the hive. Drifting snow is more concerning as it packs so tightly.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Michael Palmer said:


> ...I've seen plenty of colonies winter well with their upper entrance closed with propolis...


I had a couple do that last winter. After all the discussion about about providing them an upper entrance (or not) and some hives just plug them up.


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## ricky_arthur (Jan 17, 2014)

Here are mine. 2 storms have each dumped 2 feet of snow this year. Much more than usual.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I used to place my hives behind dense caragana or lilac hedges where the hives would spend the bulk of the winter deep under the snow. There wasn't flying weather from November to April anyway. When there was flying weather I would dig down from the top of the drift and find a melted out cavern covered with brown something. A single hive will melt a cavity the size of a 55 gallon barrel in that situation. The bees do not smother. As Mr Palmer said, hard blown snow can actually blow right in a hive and pack around a hive. But placement on the lee side of a hedge never harmed one of my hives. They wintered well in fact benefitting from the insulation.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

That snow on top is proof of good top insulation!


ricky_arthur said:


> Here are mine. 2 storms have each dumped 2 feet of snow this year. Much more than usual.


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## erikebrown (Oct 27, 2014)

Here's a picture from yesterday afternoon and then earlier today about 24 hours later. I had some foam insulation so I wrapped the Langs before the storm (which do have an upper entrance). The top bar hive is insulated on top.















Erik


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## Cris (Mar 10, 2011)

make sure the door is clear so they don't suffocate


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

Tenbears said:


> I would show mine, But, OH WELL, we haven't had any now here in N.W PA yet. Now the rest of you who do not live in the lake effect show belt know how we feel every other year. Nahaha teehee :lpf:


:thumbsup: I love these big storms, when they touch other people instead of us.


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## Cris (Mar 10, 2011)

wildbranch2007 said:


> :thumbsup: I love these big storms, when they touch other people instead of us.


I was stationed at Drum for three winters - I laugh when the Oregonians get 2-4" and FREAK OUT.


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## trottet1 (Jul 18, 2013)

Cris said:


> make sure the door is clear so they don't suffocate


See several posts on the first page of this thread.


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## Juhani Lunden (Oct 3, 2013)

Not so much snow but temperatures were -25 -30C for over a week, ground can be frozen over one meter


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## Arnie (Jan 30, 2014)

Great pics!
mcon, love the paint job on your hives!


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## jhinshaw (Aug 14, 2014)

Dominic said:


> Not all that much snow this year: https://www.facebook.com/Apis.rustica/photos/a.491438157596003.1073741828.475217419218077/984415884964892/?type=3&theater


Not that much??? LOL that looks like quite a bit to me!


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## jhinshaw (Aug 14, 2014)

mcon672 said:


>


Love your hive designs!


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## jhinshaw (Aug 14, 2014)

Juhani Lunden said:


> Not so much snow but temperatures were -25 -30C for over a week, ground can be frozen over one meter
> 
> View attachment 22697


Wow that sounds intense. How do your bees do with those temps?


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## Juhani Lunden (Oct 3, 2013)

Bees have naturally thick fur, it is hard to see it though. They cluster the tighter the colder it gets. If they are well selected for cold climates, they just sit like dead. Cold temps are no problem as long as they are healthy and have access to food and there is no moisture (= enough air circulation). I agree with Mike Palmer that don´t worry about snow covering hives. Sometimes in Finland beekeeper has to find the hives with a stick, skiing above them...but not in my area. The most snowy conditions are in the central and eastern Finland. Snow is excellent insulator and many beekeeper shovel snow to cover hives.


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## mcon672 (Mar 5, 2015)

Thanks Arnie and Jhinshaw. Lol they used to be white and gray but then I was hurt this spring and was off work and really couldn't do much so I did that out of boredom.


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## BodegaBayBees (Jan 24, 2016)

Those paint jobs on your hives are great!


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

Snow cover is the easiest way to tell if your bees are still alive.


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## erikebrown (Oct 27, 2014)

bluegrass said:


> Snow cover is the easiest way to tell if your bees are still alive.


Well, I'm not so sure. The easiest way is to look inside, and barring that a temperature sensor doesn't work so bad. Snow cover might be the simplist way, or perhaps the cheapest way. One of those anyway.


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## jhinshaw (Aug 14, 2014)

bluegrass said:


> Snow cover is the easiest way to tell if your bees are still alive.


I usually just knock to see if they'll answer!


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## julieandwadeshelton (Oct 10, 2014)

Sorry i don't have pics. But i noticed several bees on top of the snow this am when i went to clear the entrances. There was a gap between my upper medium brood and my extra super being used for mt. Camp. But being new I had to try warming a bee to see if the Lazarus effect was true lol. I took two more inside to show my son... he was amazed.

Oh and I taped the gap.


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

jhinshaw said:


> I usually just knock to see if they'll answer!


Around here sometimes that would require walking through waist deep snow, or I can tell from 100 yards away based on the snow melt on the cover.


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## silversagehoney (Jan 25, 2016)

This is one of our hives hidden in a snowcovered sagebrush


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## silversagehoney (Jan 25, 2016)

Our winter yard


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## erikebrown (Oct 27, 2014)

Now that the storm has passed, we had some warm weather today - high 30's maybe 40 in the sun. I went to peek at the hives and found bunches of bees all over the snow. I know this is normal but I had not seen this, quite the surprise.

There were some bees buzzing near the entrance of one hive as well, and a couple came out to great me. So guess the bees made it through the storm just fine.

Erik


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

Gee. Looks like some of you have harsh winters. You should think about moving.



(40F at 7:45 p.m. This has been the best winter ever)


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## jhinshaw (Aug 14, 2014)

silversagehoney said:


> View attachment 22703
> 
> 
> Our winter yard


I love this photo!


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## jhinshaw (Aug 14, 2014)

erikebrown said:


> Now that the storm has passed, we had some warm weather today - high 30's maybe 40 in the sun. I went to peek at the hives and found bunches of bees all over the snow. I know this is normal but I had not seen this, quite the surprise.
> 
> There were some bees buzzing near the entrance of one hive as well, and a couple came out to great me. So guess the bees made it through the storm just fine.
> 
> Erik


Same here! I'm going to throw some patties on this weekend since the weather will be mild. Hopefully it will help power through February!


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## Dominic (Jul 12, 2013)

Went yesterday with my kid, since it was about 5°C. Sampled ten hives, lifted the covers, all looks good. A bit less snow than usual at this time of year.


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