# Front Range Snow & extended Swarm Advisory



## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

There's 2" of fresh snow in the back yard and another day of rain & snow mix on the way along the Colorado front range. The extended forecast is for lows in the 30's for the next week. A second wave of rain snow for Sunday. The hives are cooped up and any "swarm minded' ones are likely building queen cells. These should hatch out right around the beginning of peak swarm week (~2 weeks/early May) in the Denver Metro Area. 

Next weekend should be good timing (both weather & bee-wise) to do deep inspections on a few suspect hives.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

Colobee - My thoughts, too, and thanks for the head's-up!

If we get "hive inspection" weather this weekend, I will be Demareeing my two biggest hives, and checking for swarm cells in the others. Otherwise, I will brace myself for swarms on the first warm day afterwards. 

Any bait hives better be in place in the next few days. 

 Keeping my fingers crossed for decent weekend weather.

The Front Range Weather Roller Coaster continues . . .


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## imthedude (Jan 28, 2013)

Thankful for the precip. We just had a big wave of HEAVY snow come through that has now changed over to mostly rain in Larimer County. I'm guessing we wind up with well over an inch (maybe 2) of liquid in the next couple of days, and I'll take every drop of it.

Edit - 5 minutes later it's absolutely dumping again.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

imthedude said:


> Thankful for the precip


Same here, very thankful for the precip. I've been doing splits and the weather threw a wrench into that but it's ok, I was running a little short on equipment and I just got a needed reprieve. It's not cold enough for coveralls but I certainly had to crack out the thermals and long sleeves again inch:


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## jwdeeming (Apr 22, 2014)

I put swarm traps out Sunday and by Tuesday one of them was already getting investigated in Lafayette. This weather sure put a damper on my excitement...


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

We got 2" of the white stuff and it is still dumping down rain. Got all of my Spring inspections done over the last 10 days & unwrapped and uninsulated. The Q's are laying up good but no Q-cells yet. Lost one production hive and one NUC over winter. Need a nice day soon to get more feed and patties on. Got two Seeley type S-traps out yesterday.

Steve


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

I installed four packages today. Luckily the rain stopped while I was working. The low elevation areas had about 2 inches of snow. Up here at higher elevations I have 8-10 inches of slush. I'm also very thankful for that moisture. Things will likely green up real quick after this. This was much needed moisture.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

We have ~7" of wet heavy snow on the ground this morning. ~33*. It was melting in most of yesterday. Great moisture! The blossoms may make it - the crab-apple is in full bloom.


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## Colokid (Apr 3, 2015)

I too am on the front range and just got my first two packages. It was dumping yesterday when we picked them up, so will place them this evening. Many thanks to the guys that drove to Wyoming to pick up the bees from the stranded truck. Lots of very helpful fine folk here in Larimer county. We have been misting the packages with light syrup. They seem to be doing fine. Only a few dead's on the bottom of the box which I assume is normal


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Welcome. It may soon be time to establish a "Front-Rangers" Chapter...

So much of what I've seen around here has limited widespread application. I've had colonies in Castle Rock for over 30 years. Our climate, weather, seasons - everything is slightly unique. Today is a great example - 2 days of snow & rain, and the likelihood that it won't be the last. Even the variation between here (~7000') and Denver - the "Mile High City" (5280') is often notable.

I'll be picking up some packages _next _weekend. So far it appears I may get lucky weather-wise. Or we may get another 2X dump...

Anyway - if you have any questions, I'll be glad to share my long time local observations, and won't be the least bit offended if you decide to try anything else.

CB


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

About 18 inches of heavy wet snow here. Compressing and melting fast as the snow has turned to rain. Colokid-A few dead bees on the bottom of the box is normal. Hopefully you can get them hived today. Good luck!


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## Smash228 (Jan 25, 2015)

Hopeful the awesome wet, heavy moisture leads to a good nectar flow when the sun comes out!


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

We got about 6" of wet-concrete snow at my house last night. Weather forecast is for more rain, today. The wind and snow hammered the crab apple and choke cherry blossoms off the trees in my area. Oh well, there are more blooms on the way, especially with the new moisture.

Weather forecast is saying it will be too cold to do any major manipulations this weekend. The next warm day will be Tuesday, with a high of 67F. I may take the day off from work and Demaree (or split, as necessary) hives that day. I would say after this long shut-in period, no way are the bees going to hold off swarming until next weekend.

Colobee - are you getting your packages from Tim Brod? If so, I frequently help him with deliveries and we could maybe meet in person at pick-up.

And, yes, I have often wondered if a state-by-state breakdown, in addition to the general forum, as some discussion boards do, would make sense for Beesource. Especially because so much of beekeeping is local, and so many internet fist fights break out because it is so easy to forget that what Beek #1 in British Columbia experiences is so different from what Beek #2 in east Texas experiences.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

I'm getting my pkgs from Greg, at Dakota Bees. Up in Wheatridge ~I-70 & Wadsworth. I'll probably head up ~ mid-morning.

Hey - the SUN just popped out! Err - ah - gone again...


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## Colokid (Apr 3, 2015)

I am very excited about the moisture here, it will save me a ton on hay bill for hungry horses, but as is often the case the timing is off a just a little for those of us just getting ready to put our packages in. I am likely a typical skittish newbie. Just hope I don't mess them up beyond repair.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Get them in when you can. Get a feeder on right away. I've even hived packages in my shop - in a single medium lang, 'put on moving screens & left them in the cool & dark with a feeder until I could set them out.

What style of hive have you chosen?


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

A couple of things I do when installing packages:
1.) Insulate the lid
2.) Provide warm syrup
3.) Place about a 1/2 to a cup of sugar on paper on top of the bars directly over the bees. I mist it so they don't haul it out.
4.) I have comb so install with comb and honey frames.
5.) Reduce entrances to the smallest size.
Bees in general seem to do better when they are not confined.


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## Colokid (Apr 3, 2015)

I bought all medium Langs from Beeline woodenware in Pueblo I am using waxed foundation my fiancé struggles with some back issues so decided to keep the boxes lighter I hope it works for us


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

shinbone said:


> And, yes, I have often wondered if a state-by-state breakdown, in addition to the general forum, as some discussion boards do, would make sense for Beesource. Especially because so much of beekeeping is local, and so many internet fist fights break out because it is so easy to forget that what Beek #1 in British Columbia experiences is so different from what Beek #2 in east Texas experiences.


There is a sub group, Rocky Mountain Beekeepers, on the forum, and this would be a starting place, and a good place for this thread.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Colokid said:


> I bought all medium Langs from Beeline woodenware in Pueblo I am using waxed foundation my fiancé struggles with some back issues so decided to keep the boxes lighter I hope it works for us


I've been running all mediums for ~ 3 decades. They work just fine. That said, a medium full of honey still isn't "light", just `2/3rd the weight of a deep.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

fieldsofnaturalhoney said:


> There is a sub group, Rocky Mountain Beekeepers, on the forum, and this would be a starting place, and a good place for this thread.


I've searched - where is it tucked away? I need a little help with the navigation - I see it (with a search), under "groups", "uncategorized"... just can't figure how to get there from the main forum page...


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## Colokid (Apr 3, 2015)

I found it a bit tricky in my opinion and no action on that site that i could see. Seems like a place that would be lost to most.


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## Colokid (Apr 3, 2015)

Colobee said:


> I've been running all mediums for ~ 3 decades. They work just fine. That said, a medium full of honey still isn't "light", just `2/3rd the weight of a deep.


Yes I understand only "lighter" and perhaps more versatile if all the same size. I got a bit of a stink eye from one of my mentors when I told him I was going that direction. But did mutter something like "that could work". I got the impression he wasn't a fan but did not judge. I find crusty old bee keepers a real blessing even when their eyebrows twitch a bit when dealing with the likes of those of us newborn. I think I am going to enjoy this venture


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

Colokid said:


> I found it a bit tricky in my opinion and no action on that site that i could see. Seems like a place that would be lost to most.


It was created by Kateness, and only has two members (I am the other ), & no discussions. I was just trying to address Shinbone's BONE. If people join who are Rocky Mountain Keepers, and contribute, I think it would show up as any other post, but conversations (like this one), would at least narrow down location specifications of the aspects of beekeeping.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

I may have had a few deep brood chambers in the very beginning - I still have a few empties around. Deep _broods _are really not that much heavier than mediums. 

The versatility of all mediums is a very handy tool. Empty combs from supers can be used to start new packages, full ones can be fed back as needed. Deep vs Medium (& combos) is a hotly debated topic. Every way seems to work well for each individual, and each has it's strong points. You seem to have done your research, and I imagine that's what you've found.

Giving new packages a "brood boost" at ~2 weeks, (a frame of emerging brood, from an established colony, per "The Hive & the Honey Bee" Revised '75, pg 366), and again with each new brood chamber (I overwinter in 3), has proven to be 100% successful in rearing good 1st season producers, every time. 'No supercedures and rapid growth to full colony strength. If only I could afford/rationalize more packages...

This "crusty" suspects you'll do just fine.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

We only got rain and the sun has been out most of the day. The wind did the most damage to our blossoms. It has definitely been chilly enough the bees aren't flying.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

For the Group named "Rocky Mountain Beekeepers":

From the main Forum page: "Community" (in the second gray bar at the top of the page) -> "Groups" -> "Rocky Mountain Beekeepers"

I just now joined (member #4), but I am not sure how much activity it will see since it is so cumbersome to get there. I've also "subscribed" to the Group, which, I guess means I will receive a notification if there is any activity there.

I've been using Beesource for about 4 years and never knew about the group until just now.

It sure would be nice to have a visible and easy-to-access sub-forum where the members understand and have personal experience with Colorado's challenging climate. Other regions would also benefit from such sub-forums.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Amen, brother 4.

Brother 5

No offense, Sister 1


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

I was just out plowing our road and driveway. It's like plowing wet cement. The sun came out and it warmed up to 45 and the bees were flying. Also join the community group.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

The sun came out and we hit 50*. A few foragers were out visiting the dandelions poking up through the melting snow.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Rain & drizzle, 30's & 40's, half the day yesterday, all day today & all day tomorrow, too. I know - "We need the moisture..." 
'Good thing the hives are heavy with the early flows! I actually supered 3 around mid-week.


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

I split the low elevation hives last week and I split the higher elevation hives this week. I'm going add supers down low. It looks like a pretty good warm up starting Tuesday. Let the flow begin.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I can see the Rocky Mountains in Glacier park from one of my bee yards. Does that make me a RM beek or do I have to be in Colorado? And I do not drink Coors. We had snow in the air this morning while I was pulling a queen out of a nuc for someone but mainly we have just gotten cold and not enough rain.


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

Vance: Your Front Range up their. You get to enjoy the wind just like we do. Feel free to jump in! We could get a couple of inches of snow up where I'm at. Hopefully all this moisture will help the flow.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Vance G said:


> And I do not drink Coors...


You're IN !!! :lpf:

Actually, I pay close attention to your situation. 'More like what's happening "down here" than a lot of what's going on out east & west & south & almost everywhere else... Some are calling for snow above ~9000', overnight.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

Hooray! Free water falling from the sky! After this storm, we should see mega-blooms.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Wanted to split my remaining 6 hives today  We've actually had a really light flow here for the last 3 weeks, saw them working the musk mustard pretty heavily but not now, and it's still blooming. The bees are working the tree farm north of me pretty hard for pollen but I'm at a loss as to what they're getting nectar from.

I consider Vance to be front range, I've been to Bozeman and Great Falls and the terrain looks pretty close to my terrain and flora. It's just a wee bit colder than where I am. It's always good to know what's going on anywhere on the eastern slope of the rockies as we're all pretty much in the same boat other than being a bit hotter or a bit colder. We're all pretty high and dry, well except for today inch:


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

Vance, you're most definitely Front Range of the Rockeys and as noted above climatically similar but cooler. You're actually only 9 deg. north lat. and 5 deg. west long. from here. I for one have always welcomed and respected your input and contributions.
Steve


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

shinbone said:


> Hooray! Free water falling from the sky! After this storm, we should see mega-blooms.


And mega-swarms from somewhere Let the season begin, Wednesday


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## jwdeeming (Apr 22, 2014)

Even in the dreary weather, I've frequently been seeing bumblebees at our place west of Berthoud. I've occasionally seen them before but what's different this year is they are "orange banded" bumblebees. Very striking colors but I can't get them to hold still for a picture. 

We're supposed to see 80 deg on Thursday. Looking forward to an inspection of my one overwintered hive which I plan to take to three-deep configuration this year. And am anxiously awaiting the call to pick up three new nucs to replace the one deadout. If any of my swarm traps are successful I hope to run a couple Palmer-style double nuc hives.


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

jw,

Does the following fit your definition of a MP style double NUC ? a BB, a deep with a central divider board (often called a queen castle), two 4 or 5 frame NUCs side by side, a 10 frame QE, a 10 frame deep or medium super for honey storage, and IC, and an OC? It consists of two NUC sized colonies below the QE and shared common storage of honey above the QE. If not, what is your definition?

Steve


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## jwdeeming (Apr 22, 2014)

My understanding of it was a 10 frame deep with a divider, stacked with four frame nucs on top of each side, each having separate inner and outer covers. Hadn't planned on a queen excluder or anything shared. I would operate it as two independent nucs. My goals for it would be to have emergency queens ready for the production hives and if they get really busy, use them to draw out new frame foundations for my currently non-existent inventory of wax. (Other than the deep frames from last winter's deadout). 

Your description of using a QE to permit shared storage makes me think maybe I better go back and watch the videos again...

Edited to add: Another goal for the project would be to possibly have brood frames to boost weaker production hives although being new at this, I would wonder how to tell when that's a good idea vs. replacing a sub-par queen.


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

jw,

Maybe I'm thinking of a different video. What you described is what I think that MP calls his "Bee Bomb" and is used as you mention, as a supply source of young nurse bees. At least that is my understanding.

Steve


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

If I understand it correctly - the "bee bomb" (brood bomb-?) is a full colony, overstocked with frames of brood. Or has "BB" (bottom board) been misinterpreted? The double nuc is as described ( split deep, then separate nucs stacked above). The QX ( with a divider strip) may not be MP ('not sure) but it could be a good way to have the two nucs working together, drawing out foundation (and/or storing a crop) above. A "mini" double queen unit.


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

Colobee is correct it is the overstocking of a hive with frames of brood is the Bee Bomb. The double nuc is what JW described except the colonies share 1 common lid, but 2 seperate inner covers. A queen excluder is not needed except if you supering them for honey production. JW double nucs provide everything mentioned. I use nucs as brood factories- to make overwintering nucs and mating nucs. I pull 1-2 frames of brood every 7-10 days. The brood factories are 3 levels for more bees and faster rebuilding.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Lots of rain here for the past 3 days, looks like the Springs got it worse than we did as far as localized flooding goes. In town the flow has been on for a couple weeks. Two of my in town hives swarmed, caught one  Kid next door told me about the other lol. Did a cutout from a bee tree a few days before the rain and they practically starved out due to the rain. I enjoy the moisture but it's washing the nectar out of the flowers and I'm going to have to feed a few hives during a flow. I re-distributed a honey frame to the cut out. Wish it would rain mid afternoon so there would be nectar the next day. But the prairie is GREEN. Maybe I can move a few hives out to the sticks and catch the cactus bloom along with whatever else is going to bloom on the prairie due to all this moisture.

I can't wait for the black locusts to bloom in town, they look like they're close to popping.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Same here - lots of rain - mostly just continuous light rain then drizzle, no flooding. The weekend sounds ominous. I hope we get the "mini-break" they are calling for today & tomorrow. I can finally see the far peaks off to the west again. It's clearing a bit over there & lifting here - a good sign!


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## JeffM17 (Jul 19, 2013)

We got a good amount of rain and it may have flooded the hive. I found the entrance reducer pushed into the hive and a number of dead bees  I do have the hive tilted forward about 1/4 bubble but I think this caused water to flow off the telescoping cover onto the entrance. Hopefully things will dry out...


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

Colobee said:


> I hope we get the "mini-break" they are calling for today & tomorrow.


No kidding! I will need to put some fondant onto a new swarm hived just before the rainy weather started, so they have something to live on until this weather finally clears. 

Yesterday, the rain let off to "only" a light drizzle, and I used the slight break to install two new queens. Boy, were the bees pissy when I opened the hives. Those hives had been queenless for about a week, and the new queens arrived by overnight shipping that morning. I didn't feel like I could wait for better weather. Hopefully, popping the hives open in the rain did not cause too much distress to the bees, and the new queens are quickly accepted.

I love all the free water falling from the sky, but not nonstop!


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

There calling for the possibility of snow this weekend down to the 5500 foot level. No estimates on amounts. I have a breeder queen showing up that I would like to get installed today. Hopefully the weather can hold off for a few hours.


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## jwdeeming (Apr 22, 2014)

What a bummer. I have my first successful swarm trap sitting in the apiary waiting to re-hive, and my brother just texted a video of the trap at I have in his apple tree and it's either occupied or getting scouted hard. No pollen going in so too soon to tell. Hope they get it done before the next round hits.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Hail today lol. It stripped trees pretty badly soooooo we'll see how the last of the trees flow this spring. The female cottonwoods are dropping cotton. Just an observation.


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

I got the breeder queen into the queen bank and pulled the queen cages from last weeks splits. Everyone was in the hives, so the girls were really pissy today. Managed to get everything done in between thunderstorms. Just wait out the weather now until some warming next week.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Any of you guys having problems with virgin queens getting mated with all this nasty weather? The first splits I did had 100% success rate for getting a mated queen back to the hive. Then this rain every day weather happened when the second round of q-cells started popping and the remainder of my walk away splits (8) haven't gotten mated. One of them was successful and I must have inspected right after she came back to the hive. There were 1, 2, 3 eggs per cell dead center and still a bit of capped brood so I'm fairly sure it's a new queen and not a laying worker but it seriously is looking like I might have to re-combine, the graft in... June sometime? and re-split right before the dearth. So I guess I'll be feeding as much as I currently am. All my in town hives and in town splits are ready to burst at the seams even with the weather but they're getting seriously low on honey stores.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

I've had two supercedures fail due to the new queens not being able to mate in all this rain. These were big strong hives that have now gone laying-worker because I was not able to source new queens in the early season (everyone was sold out to supply packages and nucs) and my other hives have stopped laying and so couldn't supply a frame of eggs.

Also, I had a hive starve out in mid-May, again due to all the rain, and that after I fed it 1 pound of fondant.

Crazy, crazy weather.


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

I've had similar problems. I am continuing feed syrup. There have been queen rejections and supercedures. I had planned my 1st graft for the end of April and have not had a decent run of weather to get one in. It's looking like I should be able to graft Friday. The 90 day weather outlook is calling for below normal temperatures and above average precip. The saga continues!


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

I painted hives and checked my split yard and 7 of them had laying queens  Don't know how that happened. The 8th hive has 5# of bees and is queenless. I forgot my smoker so I was trying to gingerly rob a frame of eggs from one of the other hives and I took 6 stings in the blink of an eye. The neighbor's dog (white dog) was facing away from me and took one in a REALLY bad spot lol. I seriously am pondering just combining the smallest 5 frame nuc with this monster hive and letting the queen go ape. 30 - 40 days queenless on a hive that large makes me nervous, I want to keep 5# of bees. There's no honey though. None. In any of the splits. I'll have to start feeding them soon, like, tomorrow.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

I was reading the commercial forum and they are talking about queens not being able to mate and virgins laying. I have never heard of this. Now I'll have to inspect again in 18 days to make sure I don't have hives full of drones. This year is definitely adding to my learning experience, I'll give it that.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I have some raised queens that apparently got mated and capped brood looks good. I wish they had been planned children but resulted from me not following my own stern instruction to not mess around with newly queened splits. I made the three frame splits way to strong and they were going to swarm out of the three way deep nuc box so I took one nuc out of every three way and moved the divider to the middle so they were five frame nucs. About half killed their new queen and had to raise their own. 

The last of the early flow is still going on but it is slowing rapidly. I have colonies that made a medium and a half of honey and all have enough stores for a couple weeks. We have went from bone dry to well watered and in three weeks the alfalfa will hopefully start blooming.


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

I had some problems with my divided deeps. With all the wetness over the past several weeks the lips of the hive swelled raising the lid enough so they were not divided anymore. Out of the 16 splits I had in these I lost 6 queens. Several of the hives went queenless early in May it looks like. I will be combining Friday and Saturday to try to get a decent honey crop. The good news is it looks like the flow is starting.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

my innercover if you will is a piece of soundboard and it pretty well deforms to fill any gap from the weight of a brick on the cover sitting on it. I have probably three weeks before any appreciable legume flow starts here. I will get a dandelion flush when some of it is cut and they irrigate. At least now we have the moisture to grow flowers!


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Bees in town are bringing in nectar, bees in the county are getting fed. I hope we get a week or so of alfalfa bloom with no rain before the first cutting, it would greatly help. The edges of the fields and the alfalfa on the ditch banks are starting to show purple with flowers so it won't be long now.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

I know we are forecasted to get more rain, mostly in the form of afternoon thunderstorms (which I thoroughly enjoy), but I wonder are we finally "in the clear?" Are we going to get a string of sunny or partly sunny days so the bees can finally forage? Can we stop feeding our hives?


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

Looks like next week we should get into a warmer and dryer weather pattern.


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## JeffM17 (Jul 19, 2013)

Just checked on our NUC we installed in April, we started with four frames, they have only drawn two more frames. We have been feeding them since we installed the NUC. So we swapped the two outer frames with the two they did draw out. Hopefully they will draw out those frames now as well.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Bees in town have fully drawn 5 frames of foundationless in 6 days since we've had a bit of sunshine. Of all my successful splits I've had 4 queen failures which subsequently resulted in 3 laying workers. Shook out 3 big nucs and combined the 4th. One really alarming thing I saw was a small black beetle on the top bar in one of my hives. With all the humidity from the rains we've had I hope its not giving shb a foothold here as we've never had a problem with them. I did full inspections after that and didn't see any other signs of them but now I'm worried. I think I'm going to buy some rock salt and salt the earth around and under all my hives as a precautionary step. I've done it before to control weeds but I'm thinking it might help break the shb life cycle if they can't do their thing in the dirt in my apiary and outyard. Anyone else seeing this?


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

rwurster said:


> One really alarming thing I saw was a small black beetle on the top bar in one of my hives. . . . . Anyone else seeing this?


I have not seen any SHB in any of my hives this season. I do occasionally see the shell of a dead SHB in a hive, though. Never seen a live one.

My thought/hope is that while the SHB do make it to Colorado and can survive for some relatively short period of time, our dry climate finally kills them and any offspring they generated, so they never get established. Keeping my fingers crossed that this is indeed true.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

I was finally able to get into my 10 hives to do a careful inspection yesterday and today.

One of the hives had starved out, which is just crazy for April and May, but that shows just how bad the rains were.

Somehow, due to the huge amount of rain we had, about 50% of my hives went queenless. Based on the presence of chewed out queen cells, it looks like many were failed supercedures due to poor weather causing unworkable mating conditions. Others, I couldn't tell what caused queen loss. Of those queenless hives, 50% are now laying worker hives. I will introduce caged queens to requeen the non-laying-worker hives tomorrow. I haven't decided what to do with the LW hives.

The other hives that were queen-right are cranking up the brood production. Lots of eggs and wet brood. No capped brood was seen though, indicating that the queens had shut down production during the wet weather.

I think the extreme rainy weather pretty much wiped out our usual main flow. Not sure how much nectar the hives will find from June till the end of the season, but they are ramping up their populations to find whatever will be out there. Hopefully, this year won't be a total bust for honey production.

Come August, I will be carefully checking honey stores and feeding where necessary to make sure the hives will have enough resources to survive the Winter and to rock and roll come Spring.


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## Agis Apiaries (Jul 22, 2014)

rwurster said:


> One really alarming thing I saw was a small black beetle on the top bar in one of my hives. Anyone else seeing this?


Saw a couple of really skinny little beetles today. They didn't look like pics I've seen of SHB, which I've never found in any of our hives. Looked more like they just wandered in to explore but really weren't doing anything and weren't on the comb.



shinbone said:


> Somehow, due to the huge amount of rain we had, about 50% of my hives went queenless.


We had one that went queenless. Not sure what happened to her. Definitely did not swarm, and they never put up any emergency cells. The brood just dwindled out. Got that one requeened last Saturday. The rest of the hives are all going like gangbusters now. Tons of new brood and the queens are laying eggs like mad.


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## Rocky Mt High (Mar 22, 2014)

I too have a queenless hive. Trying to figure out how to proceed. I gave them one bar of eggs and brood last week, but on my inspection today the bees did not use the age-appropriate eggs to rear a new queen. This is my biggest hive, but it's going to dwindle fast....I'd appreciate any feedback about what to do: shake out, try to combine with another queenright hive, introduce a virgin queen, etc.

Today was officially day #5 of summer for us here in SW Colorado. Cold temps and more rains coming this week. Fun, fun.

Thanks in advance for the advice.
RMH


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

RMH - What symptons lead you to conclude that your hive is queenless? Has the hive been queenless long enough for a laying-worker to develop? The presence of a laying worker would explain why the bees did not make a queen from the one frame of brood you provided. 

If you have a LW, you would have to provide one frame of open brood per week to suppress the LW. Usually, the bees will finally make a queen by the third new frame.


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## Arnie (Jan 30, 2014)

Hi everybody! I just saw this thread. Howdy to all the Colorado beekeepers!

I remember in 1992 we had rain 29 out of 31 days in May, and the summer was wet and cool. I thought it would be a bad year for honey and it turned out to be the best year I ever had. 
Don't give up just yet.

Today I plan to get into the hives and see what is up with them. Nothing much is blooming here, a little wild mustard but not a lot else. 
I'm hoping we get some good clover and thistle and milkweed this year.


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## Rocky Mt High (Mar 22, 2014)

Shinbone----Sorry, I forgot to mention the part about a laying worker  I did quite a bit of reading last night about laying workers, and I'm still a bit stumped. It seems that a hive with a laying worker will not accept an introduced queen (virgin or mated, I presume), but I've only given them one frame of eggs so far......so maybe I'll keep on giving them eggs for a few more weeks. But by then, the hive will have diminished in numbers significantly. AAARGH. What a conundrum. Maybe a shake out is the best option, but this is a BIG hive (right now...)

What a learning process beekeeping has been! But I love it and I love connecting with other beekeepers, especially in CO. If anyone is down my way, give me a shout.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

So we're in the dearth  Heads up on my year so far: started with 22 colonies successful overwintered colonies, lost 2 early spring. My basic plan for the season was to keep a pallet of hives (4) for honey production and split the rest, end the year with 35 - 50 colonies. I split 5 the first week of may then split 10 more the following week. All of the first 5 got successfully mated all of the subsequent 10 didn't get mated during the weeks of rain we had, then had 1 queen failure from the first set of 5. So last count I think was 25 strong colonies. Watermelons are 2 weeks late and I'm only going to pollinate 20 acres (10 hives). I've heavily fed my main apiary and got 200 deep frames drawn and filled (with sugar water  ). 

The alfalfa field adjacent to my main apiary got cut and the drought stressed areas of it started blooming 2 weeks later at 6" high. I can't catch the flow because every frame in every hive has sugar water in it. So I'm going to follow through with my original plan and graft now and split mid July for heavy double/triple high nucs to overwinter. 

On a trip to Alamosa the best place I saw to have bees was the prairie (where I'm currently located) with the cactus and sunflower bloom. Cactus bloom is now over and the sunflowers, eh, give good pollen  Hopefully I'll have enough honey to cover my usual customers this year and be in a better position for a production year next year. I don't want to break my arm patting myself for all the frames I got drawn but it's the only part of this year's plan that was wildly successful. I still have 20 medium supers I have to get drawn by year's end.

Hope you guys have had better success than I this season.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

http://www.beesource.com/forums/group.php?discussionid=2469&do=discuss

Of my five hives that successfully over-wintered and survived our un-ending Spring rains, each has about 70 lbs of surplus honey.

But, there hasn't been much honey production in the last week.


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## Arnie (Jan 30, 2014)

After two years of complete disaster we came through last winter with 2 hives still kicking.

After splits and packages we are now up to 7. Two are struggling, 2 are building up nicely and the rest are getting supers of comb honey. One is about to be capped, the others are filling.

There is a little alfalfa, thistle and milkweed coming on. Yellow clover looks great this year.

Traditionally, the flow in my area has been July to early August. But now the old fields of alfalfa are being replaced by grass hay and suburbs. I have to keep an eye out and makes notes on how the flow changes.


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

My overwintered hives and packages have done great. I have 2 hives that pulled in over 150 pounds each  . Most of the others around 70 pounds. The spring splits have not even built up their 2nd deep yet and continue to struggle. The higher evelvation hives have just started bringing in yellow sweet clover and wildflower nectar. The hives I have in irrigated alfalfa fields are not producing much although they do better in late July. My 3rd round of queens went in the mating nucs Sunday and the q-cells looked really nice. I will be grafting today. The plan is to replace most of the production hive queens in August. It gets really hard to rear queens when the dearth sets in due to robbing. Hopefully this rain will extend the flow as temps are supposed to warm up by the end of the week.

Take care, Rich


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

Yep- Been their several times this year myself.


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

Anyone else have problems with there spring splits? I can't figure out if it was a queen issue or a beekeeper issue. Just about all my splits have really not done anything. Even two splits sitting next to hives that brought in 100 pounds each haven't even started drawing out the second deep. Some haven't even finished the first deep. All my packages have filled one super. Any suggestions would be helpful. I have a bunch of cells in mating nucs, I may start requeening to see if I can get them built up before winter.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Nice Arnie. Mind if I ask what the dimensions of your packages are and a roundabout price for them?


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Excellent work! I dried out too much to produce comb or even very much liquid this year.


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## Arnie (Jan 30, 2014)

Thanks. Sorry to hear you didn't get much this year, Vance. Just like being a Rockies fan.........there's always next year.

rwurster, those are the 4x4 clear plastic boxes most suppliers sell. 'Spensive, but they are really nice. They average about 14 ounces of comb, sometimes a pound.
I looked around and cannot find any comb honey for sale; we're thinking somewhere in the 10 to 12 dollar range.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Don't know how bad you guys got it last night but one of my yards got hammered by flooding. Water high enough to go over pallets, bottom board and 3" up into the bottom brood boxes. I did some quick inspections and it looked pretty ugly but the bees seemed to be ok so I'll leave them to sort it out. I heard the severe weather warnings for Fountain and the Springs and around Bear Creek so I wondered if the Springs people weathered it alright. I think the only thing that kept my hives from floating off was that I supered everything in that yard with deeps and all the hives have at least 100 pounds of honey in the supers


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## Arnie (Jan 30, 2014)

Geeez, that sucks. Good luck with those hives. Hopefully the bees can clean it all up. We didn't get a drop up here, although it's fixing to have a storm here tonight.

Nice on the honey!!


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

rwurster said:


> I heard the severe weather warnings for Fountain and the Springs and around Bear Creek so I wondered if the Springs people weathered it alright.


How did Bear Creek Steve and his wife make out?


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

It's been really dry up in the northern section. Several weeks without rain. We had a wildland fire this past weekend about a 1/2 mile from the house on a ridge top. It was probably a lightning strike- we've been getting dry lighting.


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

Arnie,
Your boxed cut comb looks fantastic. Congratulations! That was one of my goals for this year, Have the boxes and the square comb cutter but my production this year is lousy, as was last year. You did a great job.

MP,
My bee yard is in the foothills at 6,800 feet and not close to running water so I had no problems. Roy, tall lankey member of the Pikes Peak Beekeepers Association had three top bar colonies down near Fountain Creek in Manitou Springs and he made out OK. Most of the bad weather was in the eastern part of town with 6-8 inches of hail plus rain. No doubt some club members had problems.

rwurster
Three inches of water above the BB sounds scary. You may need to get more big rocks on top or consider moving up slope. Hope that that water in the hives does not cause any significant problems for you.

Regards,
Steve


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

The storm advisory kept saying bear creek and manitou, I kept thinking bear creek steve for some odd reason :scratch: Glad it didn't get you guys. Im going to borrow the neighbor's ditcher and hook it up to my little tractor and fix the problem, think I have a culvert laying around somewhere too. The county didnt cut the weeds on the road side of a bar pit, which helped to clog it up and caused it to overflow and it went straight through my outyard. The major downpour made a pretty big mess out Avondale way which is where most of my hives are located. It even washed a big beaver dam almost out of existence below the outyard.


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## Arnie (Jan 30, 2014)

BCSteve, Thanks.

Glad to hear your bees are OK.
Sorry to hear that you didn't get much honey. Last year we got nothing. Some years it just stinks.

Better luck next year!


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Well, 240# of honey from 5 hives, all started out as queenless walk away splits. The rest of my hives were comb builders this year, did 3 late season splits, and everything is looking good going into fall. I'm debating whether or not to start a 3 week OA regiment on both apiaries. How did you guys fare this year?


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## Smash228 (Jan 25, 2015)

First hive this year and got two full supers. I'm thrilled!


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## Arnie (Jan 30, 2014)

Great job, Smash!

Tomorrow we are going to pull the last of the comb honey. There is at least one more super full and I am hoping for a bit more.

rwurster, 
240 pounds from 5 splits is great. 
We did one walk away in May, just before the rains started. I was amazed they got a queen mated. They have been behind ever since, but they'll be good to go for next year.


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

Most all my splits from May took the entire summer to build up. Brought in about 500 pounds at the end July. We will likely bring in another 400 to 500 pounds.


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

Bears: Up north here bears have been ranging far and wide. I had 2 yards hit with minimal damage that are out in the agricultural areas of Boulder County. I've been moving the hives to electric fenced yards.

Consider an electric fence.


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