# Arctic blast



## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

*Re: Artic blast*



jcolon said:


> Anybody doing anything special for this second round of cold weather?


Yup, staying warm inside! If it ain't done, it's too probably too late.......


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

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Going to be -10 F tonight with a high of -5 F here tomorrow and dipping to -20 F tomorrow night (with 15-20 MPH NW wind)... and we just got about 8-10" of snow last night. Winter may have taken a bit to get here... but she's here now. 

I will be curious to see if any of our first year bees survive. My expectations going into winter were that we'd have 0 of 5 survival.


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## jcolon (Sep 12, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

The snow is great insulation. I'm going down to 5F with no snow...wish i had a good layer to insulate my girls.


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## BeeMoose (Oct 19, 2013)

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I'm like snl, I've already done everything I can, feed, insulate and cover. Now just time to wait it out and pray they make it through. Plus I'm guessing there's a lot of winter
left, unfortunately.


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## gezellig (Jun 11, 2014)

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Why expect the worst jwcarlson?


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

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it is not so much how cold it is but how long it lasts. the cluster has to be able to stay in contact with food.


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## jcolon (Sep 12, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

I think Im good with the food part. I can only be positive now and hope for the best. Im sure the first few years beekeepers feel the same.


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## atgreene (Jun 7, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

I just threw caution to the wind and put Styrofoam board around my weakest double nuc. During the warm stretch last week I popped the cover and gave them more winter patties, one side was dead. Its 10° here now, figured I had nothing to loose as I had written them off. They're right up in the top cover eating from the sounds of things, maybe they stand a chance? I'll be shocked, but stranger things have happened. Rather than open them I set a piece of 2" Styrofoam on the outside of the cover and 3/4" Styrofoam around them, came back 10 minutes later with a weight to hold it down and the ice under the Styrofoam had melted. Guess they're plenty warm for now. We've got another 15-18 weeks before it warms up, I don't hold a lot of hope.


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## jcolon (Sep 12, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



atgreene said:


> We've got another 15-18 weeks before it warms up, I don't hold a lot of hope.


And I thought I had to worry...


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



gezellig said:


> Why expect the worst jwcarlson?


Why expect the best... or anything other than the worst? 
I look at it this way. If my anticipation is having zero hives in April, I will not be disappointed if even one survives. I'm not preparing for zero, I am still going to build boxes, frames, and nuc boxes for this coming spring... I just am not counting on the bees to be there. I still fed them 2:1 syrup to get them to weight or as heavy as I could. I've still put emergency feed on the ones that had weights that concerned me.

I'd like to get to about ten hives (full size and nucs) this year though spliting and catching swarms. And maybe try to raise a few queens if I get anything to live though the winter. We bought three packages this spring and I don't really want to go down that road anymore. Three packages and two swarms currently chugging through winter.

So maybe a better description is that I have mentally prepared to be super disappointed... but I am also figuring out as much as I can (before actually getting to do it) about swarm prevention, queen rearing, and "established" hive management. My dad and brother are kind of "silent partners" on this journey... they are always telling me how negative I am.



jcolon said:


> And I thought I had to worry...


In Arkansas?!?  That might as well be on the equator compared to some places in this country.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

This is called WINTER. It happens every year and bees have been surviving them thru ice ages to our current interglacial period. No need to panic or worry. You either did your job earlier or you didn't.


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## imthegrumpyone (Jun 29, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*

Going to be cold this week again, they were out yesterday, supposed to be in the 60s today so they'll be out again. I think I'll be OK if I get through this month, my first wintering, have my fingers crossed.


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*



jcolon said:


> Anybody doing anything special for this second round of cold weather?


Have my weaker 8 frames or less hives in my unheated attached garage.
will move them outside when it get 45 or better for a few days. Then back in below 17.


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## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

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I may bring in a 5 and 6 frame nuc tomorrow night. The real cold doesn't hit us until wednesday.


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## Mountain Man (Aug 26, 2013)

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Just chilling watching the WILDCATS whoop up on the CARDINALS and everyone else.... LOL


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*



jcolon said:


> Anybody doing anything special for this second round of cold weather?


We have already reduced entrances and closed screened bottoms off. One additional thing we did is move some small nucs from a higher elevation to a warmer location. This warmer location happens to be my home apiary. The smallest nucs have a spot that is totally sealed off from wind on three sides. During extreme cold snaps, I will move the smallest nucs to our unheated garage. It is a bit of trouble. But it has worked in the past.

Shane


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*



FlowerPlanter said:


> Have my weaker 8 frames or less hives in my unheated attached garage.
> will move them outside when it get 45 or better for a few days. Then back in below 17.


We do something similar. It has worked for us in the past.


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## suttonbeeman (Aug 22, 2003)

*Re: Artic blast*



Mountain Man said:


> Just chilling watching the WILDCATS whoop up on the CARDINALS and everyone else.... LOL


MOUNTAIN MAN...We sure played flat tonight. maybe too cold


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

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tsmullins said:


> We do something similar. It has worked for us in the past.


Please tell.


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## jcolon (Sep 12, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

2F expected tonight. So be it. Hope they are dry and tight.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



jcolon said:


> 2F expected tonight. So be it. Hope they are dry and tight.


Best of luck! About -20 F here tonight. Was -2 F this AM and WINDY. Windchill in the -20s. 30+ MPH winds this afternoon air temps of -4 F windchills in the -35 range. Not a fun day.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

*Re: Artic blast*

-6F now. -12F when I woke up. The winds here have come from Ian and then go down to jwcarlson. I cut my pine boards down a week or so ago when the temps were in the 30's. I get my bee fix by gluing and clamping nuc boxes in my bedroom.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



Adrian Quiney WI said:


> -6F now. -12F when I woke up. The winds here have come from Ian and then go down to jwcarlson. I cut my pine boards down a week or so ago when the temps were in the 30's. I get my bee fix by gluing and clamping nuc boxes in my bedroom.


I'm going to start some box and frame assembly here shortly. And then hopefully make some Coates nucs before spring rolls around. 

Also please put up a bigger windbreak up there for us for crying out loud! 30 MPH is overkill!


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*



FlowerPlanter said:


> Please tell.


During prolonged periods of bitter cold/high winds, we would move our smallest colonies inside an unheated garage. Just in case we block off the windows to keep it dark. These tiny colonies have pulled through. Don't remember the smallest, but maybe five or six medium frames would probably be right.

Shane


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## busybeeapiaries (Apr 9, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



jcolon said:


> Anybody doing anything special for this second round of cold weather?
> I only have one hive and so far doing ok. I'm not doing anything special other than praying hoping it is over.


Pray, I hate it as much as the bees seam to when the weather can't make up its mind. We fed last week when the temp. permitted, that is about all we could do besides make sure there was no empty supers on the hives. We have single and double bodies so we can see what works best in our area, we also have some with honey and some without as to farther determine what may be best for wintering the bees.


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*

it is -3 f. and blowing. the weather report is that this is the high. it is supposed to get a lot colder. yuck.


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*



Adrian Quiney WI said:


> -6F now. -12F when I woke up. The winds here have come from Ian and then go down to jwcarlson. I cut my pine boards down a week or so ago when the temps were in the 30's. I get my bee fix by gluing and clamping nuc boxes in my bedroom.


my old farmhouse, 150 years old, is 73 degrees in the front room, so mary-lou is not complaining. there is a new England clam chowder on the wood stove, smells great. the new betterbee catalog just came. I like 100% wood heat a lot. last night night I got a couple of cases of exterior white and green paint from the dollar store for $1 /qt.... things could be worse.


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## GLOCK (Dec 29, 2009)

*Re: Artic blast*

Going to be -40 windchill to night guess i'll see how well my Northern stock stands up to this cold front . I have lost 1 nuc so far this year . Still have 31. After last year i am as ready as i can be.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

*Re: Artic blast*

We need to hear from "Mcbee". Earl is living in International Falls, MN - often the coldest place in the US.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



Adrian Quiney WI said:


> We need to hear from "Mcbee". Earl is living in International Falls, MN - often the coldest place in the US.


His internet pipe is probably frozen solid.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

People get frozen down in the outhouse there! He may be a while getting back in the house. Probably not, it is only 12 below F. He is probably out playing in the snow.


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## JonnyBeeGood (Aug 2, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*



mathesonequip said:


> my old farmhouse, 150 years old, is 73 degrees in the front room, so mary-lou is not complaining. there is a new England clam chowder on the wood stove, smells great. the new betterbee catalog just came. I like 100% wood heat a lot. last night night I got a couple of cases of exterior white and green paint from the dollar store for $1 /qt.... things could be worse.


Awesome!!!😀


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*

I moved my 3 frame nuc into an observation hive on my porch on Sunday when it was 70 degrees. It's twin, that got left outside, was wrapped in 2" foam insulation this morning before I left for work. One other TBH was wrapped in the remaining 2" rigid foam insulation. Since I have temperature sensors in all the hives, it will be interesting to watch the difference in the insulated vs. non-insulated hives.


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## JonnyBeeGood (Aug 2, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*



ruthiesbees said:


> I moved my 3 frame nuc into an observation hive on my porch on Sunday when it was 70 degrees. It's twin, that got left outside, was wrapped in 2" foam insulation this morning before I left for work. One other TBH was wrapped in the remaining 2" rigid foam insulation. Since I have temperature sensors in all the hives, it will be interesting to watch the difference in the insulated vs. non-insulated hives.


How do you have the Temp sensors in your hives? Can you describe your setup? I've been considering doing that...


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: Artic blast*

here's something i take a peek at from time to time:

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

it's usually half way reliable sometimes.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*



JonnyBeeGood said:


> How do you have the Temp sensors in your hives? Can you describe your setup? I've been considering doing that...


I bought them from ambientweather.com http://www.ambientweather.com/amws08x4kit.html in November. You can either get the little box that measures temperature and humidity OR you can get a wire probe that only measures temperature. I bought some of each. The little boxes lay on my top bars in some of the hives. The ones with the wire probe, I was able to suspend the wire down into the brood nest to get a more accurate reading. There are also different types of base stations. I meant to get the WS-10 that puts 4 sensor readings on one screen. By mistake, I bought the large display one so I have to let it scroll through the 8 different sensors. The other thing to be aware of is the distance the sensors are from the home base. Some things interfere with the transmission. But overall, it's was a fun $125 spent.


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## Margot1d (Jun 23, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*



jwcarlson said:


> Why expect the best... or anything other than the worst?
> I look at it this way. If my anticipation is having zero hives in April, I will not be disappointed if even one survives. I'm not preparing for zero, I am still going to build boxes, frames, and nuc boxes for this coming spring... I just am not counting on the bees to be there. I still fed them 2:1 syrup to get them to weight or as heavy as I could. I've still put emergency feed on the ones that had weights that concerned me.
> 
> I'd like to get to about ten hives (full size and nucs) this year though spliting and catching swarms. And maybe try to raise a few queens if I get anything to live though the winter. We bought three packages this spring and I don't really want to go down that road anymore. Three packages and two swarms currently chugging through winter.
> ...


All last winter I worried, and I messed with them, and I ran out in the cold and covered them. I was sure one hive was going to die and it pulled through queenless. Worrying causes poor judgement and you can make you fears come true if you are not careful. The girls stronger then you think. MD


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

*Re: Artic blast*



jwcarlson said:


> Why expect the best... or anything other than the worst?
> My dad and brother are kind of "silent partners" on this journey... they are always telling me how negative I am.


You should listen to them! :lookout:


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



snl said:


> You should listen to them! :lookout:



What do they know?



Margot1d said:


> All last winter I worried, and I messed with them, and I ran out in the cold and covered them. I was sure one hive was going to die and it pulled through queenless. Worrying causes poor judgement and you can make you fears come true if you are not careful. The girls stronger then you think. MD


I'm not dinking with them other than showing up on warm days to see if they are flying. This was probably our last cleansing flight day (or one of the last) for awhile on December 26. The bees looked so tiny, not sickly... just small. Maybe that's because I haven't really been "in" the bees for awhile? We have two Langs here and three TBHs elsewhere:





Both looking great to me (TBHs have similar traffic). Just hope I haven't bungled something else up earlier that will cause issue for them. I am planning on weighing them when I next get a chance. Just to get a feel for how much feed they've gone through at this point


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

*Re: Artic blast*

Apparently we will miss this one. It's currently around 50�°F here and calm. My bees are out for the first time in a couple of weeks.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

*Re: Artic blast*

Hey Barry,
HD and Lowes always have oops paint on sale!


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

*Re: Artic blast*

Yeah, you aren't the first to point that out after seeing my hives...


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

*Re: Artic blast*

Hey Barry, did you forget where paint comes from?   

/me adds fuel to the fire.


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## texanbelchers (Aug 4, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

Maybe they'd like to take a winter vacation to New Mexico and paint them for you. :banana:


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

Barry, maybe you should hold a "Bee Camp", and then those ... mmm ... _campers _... can pay you a participation fee - and one of the camp activities can be ... _painting hives_. 

:wiener:


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## bugmeister (Feb 26, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*

AT- weird winter- 2 weeks ago they were flying like it was mid april! keep the faith the Styrofoam on the cover can help alot and if you have another piece-stack it up. if you haven't already maybe some roofing paper-asphalt 30 or 15 lb, wrapped around wont hurt either- as a cold wind shield and as a solar absorb er on sunny days. good luck. B


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## bugmeister (Feb 26, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*

now that's funny!!!!! I wrapped mine for the winter with insulation tape! (internet pipe from post #31)


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## busybeeapiaries (Apr 9, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

I am surprised at the grief you are getting Barry on the paint condition of your hives. We have several Cypress hives that have no paint at all, its not that the bees can't see color, it's that they really don't care. We also have several that look like yours too, chiped and pealing paint and yes we get the "opps" paint but, that takes time. Time as you may imagine, is in short supply around here. 700+ hives 12 yards.


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## honey jhar (Jun 5, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

:


Vance G said:


> This is called WINTER. It happens every year and bees have been surviving them thru ice ages to our current interglacial period. No need to panic or worry. You either did your job earlier or you didn't.


But this is my first winter WITH BEES!


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

Self interest makes all the difference in the world! Like I said that you quoted. I really wish you the best. It is a hard wait.


honey jhar said:


> :
> 
> But this is my first winter WITH BEES!


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

*Re: Artic blast*

That box is 12-14 years old at least. Maybe older if it's one I bought from the guy who got me started. This is the high desert. Not a lot of precipitation or humidity. That box will stay together and serviceable for another decade with no additional paint. I power washed some this past summer and did more harm than good trying to spruce them up.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*

Barry, my first thought was those hives need some paint job done.
But again you can put a layer of linseed oil to protect it for another 24 years.
I just paint another layer of linseed oil on all of my hives. They are into their 7th
year already. These hives will glow in the sun too.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

*Re: Artic blast*

>I am surprised at the grief you are getting Barry on the paint condition of your hives.

I get a lot of that also from newbees with their bright white two year old hives and shiny new stainless extractor. I want to see their equipment when they have been at it 45 years like me.


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## SpringGreen (Jun 26, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

I wrapped mine with Bee Cozy wraps back in November...easy and fast but expensive...flopped some big candy boards on and left them to it. It was warm enough to check in on the bees a few days ago and toss on some fondant, and all looked great (!). But it's pretty chilly out. I'm not hiking down to the bee yard.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

Just went out to check a couple hives (from the outside). It's blowing 30 mph and it's cold.
I saw what was probably "worst case" as far as my sanity. One hive had about 20 dead bees scattered about 1.5-2 feet out on top of the snow. We haven't had flying weather for a couple weeks. Didn't notice any poop and the dead ones looked "normal".

The other hive had nothing scattered in front of it.

Now I'm wondering what's going on... couldn't they just both be the same?


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## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

*Re: Artic blast*

Barry,
Those boxes display real character and experience. There's a lot of wisdom in that flaking paint. It's the same way I now view thinning grey hair.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

*Re: Artic blast*

It is what is in the boxes that matters the most.


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## Ret Sgt. Robert Yates (Dec 5, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

Here is a Quote I found from Master Beekeeper George Imirie (1933-2007)
he has published many for the TBA for public usage under the pink pages.
_*
WHAT IS A "HARD" WINTER FOR BEES? *_Most beekeepers answer this question with the WRONG answer, because they are anthropomorphic (look in a dictionary) and they just haven't read enough about apis metabolism. Flying is hard work for a bee, burning up large amounts of energy supplied by large amounts of food and done in a short time, so that a bee's total life span in flying weather is only about 6 weeks. However, that same bee can live 15-20 weeks if it doesn't fly and hence it has no need to eat very much either. Going a step further, if the continued cold weather prevents flight, the bees form a tighter cluster to maintain warmth and hence don't move around hardly at all, then they don't require much food, so they don't have to relieve their bowels for long, long periods of time. Can you begin to "get the picture of what is a 'hard' winter compared to an 'easy' winter for a bee"? An absolute ideal "easy" winter for a bee is to turn cold to 30 degrees WITH NO WIND and just stay at 30 degrees for about two months, warm up to flight temperature for a couple of days and all go out for a cleansing flight and then go back to a steady
30 degrees for another couple months. Very few bees would die, the bees would eat very little of their stored honey, and the cluster could warm a large brood area for queen laying. A HARD winter (for bees, not humans) is several months where the temperature goes up and down like a yo-yo, where a wind quickly cools a colony so that tight clustering is a problem and then suddenly it
warms to flight temperature again. Flying takes energy and suddenly on the way back home, clouds obscure the warmth of the sun and the bee can't fly home and dies on the ground of cold weather. They eat a tremendous amount of food in this on and off hot-cold weather; and all of these things cause a lot of death so that there aren't a lot of bees to maintain a warm brood nest for
queen laying. Bees have survived in plain hives (not packed in insulated boxes) in Canada and Alaska for Bees have survived in plain hives (not packed in insulated boxes) in Canada and Alaska for centuries proving that they can withstand below zero temperatures, and bee research scientists have
tested bees in open hives, insulated hives, hives placed in dirt cellars in our colder states and have not made any decision about which hive is better off in the winter. However, there is universal agreement that the "hardest" winter for bees are those that have greatly fluctuating temperatures with short periods of flying weather followed by cold clustering weather and vice-versa.

Best Regards


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## McBee7 (Dec 25, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*

Sounds like a party going on in here. Heat wave today +4 and tonight down to -15 we had a high of -5 yesterday, 4 more days with nitetime lows of double digits below zero,,,I've been having a hard time keeping air in tthe tires of my truck, the beads dont seal well when it gets cold, anyway, I was out to check on some of the girls today at ,,,,,Hay-Hinge,,


and found frost under the cover above the quilt box where the air exits the box.....Which means they're still alive and the humidity is leaving the box...The dots in the frost are where I have nuts screwed to the top of the quilt box that spaces up the tele-cover 1/8 inch to vent the box...



And here is a pic of the bees under the quilt box among the sugar lunch sacks that I put on top of the frames for winter feed for this light hive....



Stay warm all and spring will tell the story 

==McBee7==

The top pic was taken today and the other 2 were taken 2nd week in Dec when it was 35 and the bees were trying to fly :<(


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## Ret Sgt. Robert Yates (Dec 5, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

sugar lunch sacks ... ? Please Explain


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## McBee7 (Dec 25, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*

Howdy Sgt. Yates...And yes they are just lunch sacks that I put moistened sugar into (about 1 1/2 cups ) and allow them to harden before I slide them under the Quilt Box..
Each one weighs about a pound and a half and is an inch and a half thick so it'll slide under the QB ..For me it seems to be quicker to do than the mountian camp method and easy to add to as they consume the sacks....I can put in 4 to 6 sacks at a time, and I'm watching them to try to determine how fast they eat them and how soon I need to freshen them up...
I mix a cup of water to a 4 pound sack of sugar to make the mix, you could add in EO's or whatever you wanted to make your own version of the sacks . 

==McBee7==


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## woodsy (Mar 3, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*

20 below zero last night, high of 5*F today. Been rough sledding lately,
not only cold but wind blew everything off that wasn't tied down. 
Glad i put in a windbreak for the hives, might just save them.
Started another gallon of Mead today.


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## Ret Sgt. Robert Yates (Dec 5, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

McBee7,

That make a lot of since in doing it that way when it is for a very cold region. 

Thank You for sharing .

Best Regards Brother


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

*Re: Artic blast*



woodsy said:


> Started another gallon of Mead today.


Making or drinking? :lpf:


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

Can you just make a gallon? I do need to start another high test traditional as it takes about four years to start being good---and then it is very good and one needs to be careful not to consume too much or you might invade England.


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## woodsy (Mar 3, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*



snl said:


> Making or drinking? :lpf:


Started not started on  Did start on some applejack i made from hard cider . 



Vance G said:


> Can you just make a gallon? I do need to start another high test traditional as it takes about four years to start being good---and then it is very good and one needs to be careful not to consume too much or you might invade England.


For newbee mead makers like me it is probably better to start with gallon batches 
until you get any bugs worked out. I've only made one other gallon batch of traditional so far. I doubt i could wait 4 years though !

Heres a look at your 7 day arctic temp forecast if you are in the US. Only 5 below here this morning. Throw another log on the fire !

http://www.weatherstreet.com/states/u-s-min-temperature-forecast.htm


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

I live in the banana belt. I am going fishing. Bee hives are under snow so they are safe and snug.


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## poppy1 (Feb 1, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*



McBee7 said:


> Howdy Sgt. Yates...And yes they are just lunch sacks that I put moistened sugar into (about 1 1/2 cups ) and allow them to harden before I slide them under the Quilt Box..
> Each one weighs about a pound and a half and is an inch and a half thick so it'll slide under the QB ..For me it seems to be quicker to do than the mountian camp method and easy to add to as they consume the sacks....I can put in 4 to 6 sacks at a time, and I'm watching them to try to determine how fast they eat them and how soon I need to freshen them up...
> I mix a cup of water to a 4 pound sack of sugar to make the mix, you could add in EO's or whatever you wanted to make your own version of the sacks .
> 
> ==McBee7==


Could you please explain what type of "sacks" you put the sugar into.

Thank you


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

I'm pretty sure he is referring to brown paper bags. A variation of this method is to just plop the entire 4 lb (paper) bag of sugar (as it comes from the store) in there. The bees will chew thru the paper to get to the sugar, and by then the sugar will likely have absorbed enough moisture to remain as a lump. Some help that process along by misting the sack with a small amount of water.


Then there is this ...


sqkcrk said:


> The Mountain Camp method of feeding is better known amongst beekeepers everywhere as The Dry Sugar Method. It got called The Mountain Camp Method because our friend Mountain Camp explained it and illustrated it here on beesource. One name is as good as another.
> 
> Basically it's a wooden rim, set on top of an open beehive so a sheet of newspaper can be laid in it and a bag of dry sugar can be placed on the paper. Then the cover is put back on. As winter passes and the bees breath, their respiration dampens the paper and the sugar and the bees eat the sugar, which is right above them. This can give a colony about one month of feed. Which can be all the difference between starvation and making it through the winter.
> 
> Mountain Camp's Method seems to use a shallow or medium super. i think that that is too much empty space. I prefer a 1 1/2 inch feeder rim.


Some versions of Mountain Camp dump the sugar out of the bag directly onto the newspaper.


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## McBee7 (Dec 25, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*

Rader is correct, It's just a brown paper sandwich bag, and here's a pic of everything you need minus the jar of honey which is just in the pic to give it some scale 



Lot of different ways to do the same thing "Feed the Bees"
Good luck Poppy1.

==McBee7==


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*

Got a message from a customer today with a couple of my queens -are doing great in Minnesota, wind chill temps -45 degrees.

That's a great test for them, especially since Washington had decided to be more like California this winter & Alaska has at times been warmer than Washington.











We have a long way to go before winter is over, but I was glad to hear good news so far.


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

*Re: Artic blast*

Peer pressure is a powerful thing...


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

Are you getting ready for the _Bee Campers_? 

.
.
.

Hopefully that is _oops _paint ...


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

*Re: Artic blast*



Adrian Quiney WI said:


> -6F now. -12F when I woke up. The winds here have come from Ian and then go down to jwcarlson.


Lol ! 
Welcome to my winters!!!


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*

Ian, How are your indoor bees doing?


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

*Re: Artic blast*



Lauri said:


> Ian, How are your indoor bees doing?


Cozy and content. They are maintaining a temp of 4 degrees through this cold. No heating bill from this set up!


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

*Re: Artic blast*

It's all white interior semi-gloss. Pretty sure it's never going to see a beehive but it's evidence that I have some. 

Back on the arctic blast track, Ret, Sgt. Robert Yates posted an Imrie reference that says:



> However, there is universal agreement that the "hardest" winter for bees are those that have greatly fluctuating temperatures with short periods of flying weather followed by cold clustering weather and vice-versa.


That very much describes our high desert temperature fluctuations. It can be really cold for a couple of weeks, then we get blasted. The daily variation can be 30 degrees or more. I'm wondering how much of a toll this takes on my bees compared to a long, steady winter with gradual temperature changes. Hmmm....


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*

It feels like Spring. And yet it is not so. Days in the low 60s and frosty at night.
Guess they don't care much as long as there are something out there
for them. 
Humm, is interior better than the exterior? But they're not going on the hives so 
doesn't matter, eh?


Wonder where those orange and yellow come from?


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

*Re: Artic blast*

-15 in Ian's neck of the woods. Wonder what's his heating bill...😱


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*



Ian said:


> Cozy and content. They are maintaining a temp of 4 degrees through this cold. No heating bill from this set up!


That's pretty slick! :thumbsup:


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

But that's impossible! :no: inch:

After all, _bees don't heat their hive_. I know thats true cuz I read it on Beesource. :gh:


:lpf:


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*



Rader Sidetrack said:


> But that's impossible! :no: inch:
> 
> After all, _bees don't heat their hive_. I know thats true cuz I read it on Beesource. :gh:
> 
> ...


Or it could be buckets of water on top of the hives retaining the heat! Given that the specific heat of water is higher than any other substance....it only makes sense. :lookout: :gh:


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

*Re: Artic blast*



snl said:


> -15 in Ian's neck of the woods. Wonder what's his heating bill...


Was referring to his home.


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## Frgrasso (Dec 18, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

My hives are still buzzing ! Cleaned entrances today and 
Heard the girls !! We had a terrible week of high winds 
And wind chills in -15+ !! Iam in Western New York 
Anyone else in my area ? How's your hives ?


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

We had similar, 30 mph winds air temps in -20 F windchills -25 to 30 F. Confirmed three of my five still alive! The other two not checked. Will rest easier now. Was 32 todsy and sunny. Some flying.


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## flyin-lowe (May 15, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

The only thing I did before the cold snap was add a piece of insulation board on my top cover. Went out today and checked them for the first time since early December. Last week we had lowes well below zero with strong winds, chill temps around 20 below. Today the hive was light so I plan to feed, but there were bees I could see through the inner cover so they survived the first cold snap.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

At -15, the Canadians usually haven't turned on their heat yet.


snl said:


> -15 in Ian's neck of the woods. Wonder what's his heating bill...&#55357;&#56881;


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

*Re: Artic blast*

I bought a vehicle with a heated steering wheel ... Oh what a treat


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## Ret Sgt. Robert Yates (Dec 5, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



Barry Digman said:


> It's all white interior semi-gloss. Pretty sure it's never going to see a beehive but it's evidence that I have some.
> 
> Back on the arctic blast track, Ret, Sgt. Robert Yates posted an Imrie reference that says:
> 
> ...


 Mr. Digman,



The reason that the statement is considered to be the “hardest” winter for bees is they will consume their reserved honey much faster with the varied temperatures in the colder days. Honey is to bees as was hardtack to the sailors of the war times it was something they barely survived on and is ranked as the third food source for bees. Nectar is number one and sugar syrup at a ratio of 1:1 -1:2 is number two. 

“A HARD winter (for bees, not humans) is several months where the temperature goes up and down like a yo-yo, where a wind quickly cools a colony so that tight clustering is a problem and then suddenly it warms to flight temperature again. Flying takes energy and suddenly on the way back home, clouds obscure the warmth of the sun and the bee can't fly home and dies on the ground of cold weather. They eat a tremendous amount of food in this on and off hot-cold weather; and all of these things cause a lot of death so that there aren't a lot of bees to maintain a warm brood nest for queen laying.”



On a standard hive ( Not manipulated by man for survival) that has honey reserves and is NOT wrapped up for heating purposes of keeping the hive above their normal “survival” temperatures during the winter months this would normally apply to a colony.



A long cold winter the bee colony basically shut down the queen does not lay eggs, there is no hatch or brood to keep warm, nor do the vast majority eat very much, the main bees in the colony sit on top of the queen and keep her warm by flexing their muscles this transitions throughout the hive of bees keeping them warm in the winter months until they can be warmed by the sun and/or temperatures outside. When the temperatures rises gradually the bee hive warms up at a constant rate allowing the bees to leave the hive to defecate and stretch their wings before returning to the hive for their normal duties. 



I hope this helps answer your inquiry Mr. Digman.



Best Regards


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

*Re: Artic blast*

-22F air temperature this morning. I'm going to have a cup of tea and then work on drilling pilot holes for the nailing of boxes. I don't have a heated shop this will all happen in the living room while my wife is out and the kids are at school. It is supposed to get above freezing this weekeend. I won't see much of it as I will be back to work by then.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

Supposed to be up above freezing here today or tomorrow. Hey we have nearly eight hours os sun now. It is nearly spring.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

*Re: Artic blast*


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*

O.k., just to warm up this chilly weather a bit here. Day time high in the 60s and night low in
the 30s. Nice lookin' little nuc hive there. Checked yesterday and saw 1 frame of open broods, 1
frame of capped broods, and 1 frame of newly laid eggs/larvae. And one pollen and
honey frame in there. No more room to expand side way but up. It's getting crowded with each
batch of fat bees that hatched. This is their 2nd batch with the 3rd one coming soon. Mite check level is low. Whoever said
store bought honey cannot be use as nuc feed when building up faster? Maybee I just do things differently here.


My little overwinter nuc:


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



beepro said:


> O.k., just to warm up this chilly weather a bit here. Day time high in the 60s and night low in
> the 30s. Nice lookin' little nuc hive there. Checked yesterday and saw 1 frame of open broods, 1
> frame of capped broods, and 1 frame of newly laid eggs/larvae. And one pollen and
> honey frame in there. No more room to expand side way but up. It's getting crowded with each
> ...


I thought the reason you didn't feed store bought honey was because it could have AFB or other disease?


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## Juhani Lunden (Oct 3, 2013)

*Re: Artic blast*









Nucs, comb area equals 4 Langstroth frames, -25 last week, wintering fine with right genetics


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*



jwcarlson said:


> I thought the reason you didn't feed store bought honey was because it could have AFB or other disease?


how about that. one way AFB is spread hive to hive by robbed honey. it takes extreme [fire] heat or radiation to kill the spores. the spores can live dormant over 50 years. store honey can spread this, if contaiminated.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



mathesonequip said:


> how about that. one way AFB is spread hive to hive by robbed honey. it takes extreme [fire] heat or radiation to kill the spores. the spores can live dormant over 50 years. store honey can spread this, if contaiminated.


Maybe Beepro has an at-home irradiation kit?


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*

Yep, the right genetics alright. I got them here. And do experiments here that
BeeS people believed in. I even let them robbed each other's honey, pollen and nectar. Not even 
chalk broods are present this year compared to the prior years.
But one hive got the mites and requeening themselves now. So even the
mites got mixed in so store bought honey is no issue to them. Let the 
strongest hive survive to take grafts from this Spring.
If there are diseases in the honey then they might as well
to clean them up too. No irradiation kit here either. I thought
the US honey company clean that up already unless they bought it 
from China. Isn't that misleading to the consumers though? Now I
wonder if those fish tank UV lights will work on the honey diseases too?


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*

:applause:


jwcarlson said:


> Maybe Beepro has an at-home irradiation kit?


based on the bee-pro response, there are some kind of fumes or something going on. a uv light killing bee diseases, surely you jest. genetics solving all the problems, surely you jest. a simple re-queening solving a mite problem, surely you jest. a honey company treating and cleaning honey, now that is comical. wow!


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## Kimberlee (Sep 5, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

Hello! I'm Kim Keen from Minneapolis, MN. Arctic blasts for sure. I want to tell you about our bees and ask what you think. We have 2 hives; we're first year keepers. So, this is our first winter. One hive is carniolans, the other italians. Our carns has lots of dead bees in front of the hive. Our italians have none. We're worried maybe the italians are all dead in there. Is it normal to have dead bees out front or not to have dead bees out front. What do you think it means? After reading these posts, I'm thinking the only way to know whats going on is to put my ear to the hive and listen for anything?

Thanks all,
-kim


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*

as time goes on some bees die. hives vary on house cleaning. notice I said hives not races. take a quick peak on a warm day, just lift the cover briefly. you can listen with your ear by the box for buzzing anytime , but sometimes the bees are ok and you do not hear much. if the boxes are getting light or the bees are all up at the top of the hive add some sugar or dry or patty winter food right away. do a search on this site for more information. I assume that the entrances are open enough for breathing, preferably with a small top opening. it is to early for pollen substitute in minn.


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## Ret Sgt. Robert Yates (Dec 5, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



mathesonequip said:


> as time goes on some bees die. hives vary on house cleaning. notice I said hives not races. take a quick peak on a warm day, just lift the cover briefly. you can listen with your ear by the box for buzzing anytime , but sometimes the bees are ok and you do not hear much. if the boxes are getting light or the bees are all up at the top of the hive add some sugar or dry or _*patty winter food right away*_. do a search on this site for more information. I assume that the entrances are open enough for breathing, preferably with a small top opening. it is to early for pollen substitute in minn.


I might agree with sugar dry or wet even a syrup However here is a PDF everyone can read about "winter Patty food/s" and bee colonies benefits.
https://snt151.mail.live.com/mail/V...linbox&attindex=0&cp=-1&attdepth=0&n=43413699

With an attach email from the source:








_




Re: Supplemental Feeding High Protein in Winter Months ONLY for Bees!_ 







   





Thanks for contacting us at the Bee Informed Partnership with your question.







There has been some research on this and it has shown that feeding supplemental pollen to honey bees in the fall does not affect the performance of winter bees. For me, if someone told me to feed protein supplements in the winter, I'd need to see HARD evidence or I would think they were trying to make money off me. The issue is that protein is brought into the colony to feed brood and since there is usually no brood in the winter there is no incentive to feed. If you do feed and stimulate the queen to begin laying, you'd better keep the feeding up or the brood will starve. Because of this I would not even start. You can start feeding in the early spring with sugar water and pollen substitute, again to stimulate brood but then the natural pollen will begin soon after and the bees should be fine.





Best Regards


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## Cloverdale (Mar 26, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*



Frgrasso said:


> My hives are still buzzing ! Cleaned entrances today and
> Heard the girls !! We had a terrible week of high winds
> And wind chills in -15+ !! Iam in Western New York
> Anyone else in my area ? How's your hives ?


Hi I'm in the Western Catskills, Delaware Cty; my one big hive of Italian mutts has no dead bees anywhere and are very quiet now, not sure about them, can't hear anything either; the other two small ones do; plus dead bees 20 to 30 feet away. Our other two hives are farther out, so haven't looked in a few weeks.


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## Kimberlee (Sep 5, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

Hi all,

This is Kim from Minneapolis again. I had thought maybe our bees were dead. My bee partner, Bliss, peeked under the inner cover on a sunny 40 degree day here. Thats super warm for January! And she saw no bees. First I thought that meant they were all dead, but could they be in the second box, not the top one? We have to winter in 3 deeps here. I thought they'd be in the top one by now. She also saw pools of water on top of the frames. Is it most likely they're all dead? 

thanks,
Kim Keen, minneapolis


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*



Kimberlee said:


> Hi all,
> 
> This is Kim from Minneapolis again. I had thought maybe our bees were dead. My bee partner, Bliss, peeked under the inner cover on a sunny 40 degree day here. Thats super warm for January! And she saw no bees. First I thought that meant they were all dead, but could they be in the second box, not the top one? We have to winter in 3 deeps here. I thought they'd be in the top one by now. She also saw pools of water on top of the frames. Is it most likely they're all dead?
> 
> ...


Your first year hives (packages?) filled three deeps in the first year?


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*



Kimberlee said:


> Hi all,
> 
> This is Kim from Minneapolis again. I had thought maybe our bees were dead. My bee partner, Bliss, peeked under the inner cover on a sunny 40 degree day here. Thats super warm for January! And she saw no bees. First I thought that meant they were all dead, but could they be in the second box, not the top one? We have to winter in 3 deeps here. I thought they'd be in the top one by now. She also saw pools of water on top of the frames. Is it most likely they're all dead?
> 
> ...


likely but not certain.. look again when it is spring.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

*Re: Artic blast*

Kim, water pooled on frame tops is likely condensation. The _good_ news:thumbsup: is that condensation is quite possibly from water vapor from {live} bees normal activities. The bad news is that cold, wet condensation dripping onto bees trying to stay warm is not good for the bees life/health expectancy.

One possible remedy is to increase top ventilation somewhat. You want the warm wet vapor to be able to escape, not condense. Another possibility is to add insulation on _top _of the hive - the idea with that is that the sides of the hive will be cooler than the top, and therefore condensation occurs on the walls, not the top, and will run down the walls rather than dripping on top of the bees.


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## Cloverdale (Mar 26, 2012)

*Re: Artic blast*

Pools of water are not good. Is the hive ventilated well enough? Maybe the moisture is not getting out?


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## busybeeapiaries (Apr 9, 2014)

*Re: Artic blast*

Sorry to hear about your dilemma, moisture as your describing does tend to make me think your bees may be gone but, a low population could cause this too. You will not know until warmer weather, I would not open a hive in weather under 55• though. 
There are so many explanations for your situation that if I were you would not speculate until I could check first hand. Get a stethoscope and place on the sides and listen for buzzing. You can do it with a crystal glass too as long as it quiet around. If you hear them you might be ok if not, you may have lost them. 
🐝


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## Kimberlee (Sep 5, 2014)

@jwcarlson Yes, first year packages drew out and filled 3 deeps. Thanks for the replies. We put moisture board (stuff called built right) from Home Depot on top of the inner cover. We carved out tunnels for condensation to escape but maybe I should just drill a bunch of holes in it. There's only 1 hole now. I know you shouldn't check until it's 50 or higher but you gotta order bees by some date in Febuary. Listening w/ a stethoscope is a good idea.


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## busybeeapiaries (Apr 9, 2014)

Some things we do in commercial beekeeping can easily transition to a smaller scale. Just glad to be able to help.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

> You will not know until warmer weather, I would not open a hive in weather under 55• though.


I open hives at much colder temps that that to put sugar blocks on. Doesn't seem to bother the bees much and does not appear to affect winter survival.


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## busybeeapiaries (Apr 9, 2014)

Opening a top to drop sugar on is a long way from checking a hive. Secondly it does bother them, they get hit with a cold blast of air and have to generate more heat, you do not want to disturb your bees more than you have to. 🐝


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I try not to pull frames under 55 F but that temp is OK if you are there for a reason and you do things quickly----and early enough in the day so they can bring hive temps back up. I sure don't do it near sunset! 



camero7 said:


> I open hives at much colder temps that that to put sugar blocks on. Doesn't seem to bother the bees much and does not appear to affect winter survival.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

I do full hive inspection trying to catch the mites almost everyday after 4pm when the
outside temp. is around the mid-50s for at least 2 1//2 hours. This is for almost 2 weeks now. It takes quite awhile to fully
inspect all the frame of bees in each hive. So far the broods, capped and uncap and the queen's laying seems fine. 
Everyday I see less and less free crawling mites on the nurse bees now. At this rate, I can reduce the number
of full hive inspection to every 3 days later on until the mite population has gone down to allow the normal hatching
of the capped broods again. Though I can see that as more flying guard bees are mature this task is getting harder to do
without a full suit on. I'm only wearing a veil and a bright LED miner's headlight on. Yes, the bees are attracted to the bright
light alright. Wonder how the red LED light would work?


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## McBee7 (Dec 25, 2013)

Just came in from taking a quick look at the hives in the shed, with red light. Its 1 hour from Febuary 1 and its currently -9F and by 6am they are talking -24F, we've been below zero for the last few nights and we will for a few more, but I could smell spring in the air today as I looked at some yards for this year, under snow....Temp in the shed is +37F and humidity is less than 50% and the bees are doing well. I swept out about a quart of dead bees and assured myself they have enough feed for a while but I want to check weights on a couple of hives when the weather warms up enough to roll them out onto a scale. 8 weeks will get me to april and I'll need to get them outside, so the wait contenues and I'll stiffle the urge to tear into them and see how they are doing...lol...It's been 3 weeks since I looked in the shed last, but I monitor the temp and humidity remotely and the biggest threats at this point are the nice days (psudo springs) over 30deg and the humidity spikes up...I have quilt boxes on them but I still worry about humidity......Old man winter lingers on but spring cannot be denied,,,, 

==McBee7==


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I guess it takes an optimist to live in Frostbite falls let alone keep bees there! I am following your wintering with interest. Good luck.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

If you have the interest to add another gadget to your set up, there is
something about the dehumidifier unit. Saw it in the store but did not further
investigate. Maybe this will solve your high humidity situation in there?


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

beepro said:


> I do full hive inspection trying to catch the mites almost everyday after 4pm when the
> outside temp. is around the mid-50s for at least 2 1//2 hours. This is for almost 2 weeks now. It takes quite awhile to fully
> inspect all the frame of bees in each hive. So far the broods, capped and uncap and the queen's laying seems fine.
> Everyday I see less and less free crawling mites on the nurse bees now. At this rate, I can reduce the number
> ...


What do you mean catch the mites? Catch them in the act and try to embarass them into not crawling into a cell?


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Your air humidity levels in themselves are not dangerous. Something you could try on you minisprings is to open the door at night and thoroughly change the air and then close it up thru the heat of the day. Some humidity is probably good for the bees reliquifying food.


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## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

Kimberlee said:


> @jwcarlson Yes, first year packages drew out and filled 3 deeps. Thanks for the replies. We put moisture board (stuff called built right) from Home Depot on top of the inner cover. We carved out tunnels for condensation to escape but maybe I should just drill a bunch of holes in it. There's only 1 hole now. I know you shouldn't check until it's 50 or higher but you gotta order bees by some date in Febuary. Listening w/ a stethoscope is a good idea.


I use the moisture absorption board too, with a single groove from the hole in the center to the notch in the rim. So far that has worked well for me, though this has been my coldest Winter with bees (temps hitting -20, it can hit -25 to -30 here). Last month I took the tops off some hives to put the boards in and insulate, at only 5 above and a stiff wind at 11pm. May have killed one hive, another is stricken with Nosema, possibly because they still had liquid food in at that time (which was medicated with Fumagilin, but they had not consumed anywhere near the full dosage). I have been reserving 2 nucs each Fall, just as a hedge against complete Winter wipeout...though this may be the last time, if enough hives make it AND I get better with splitting and raising queens this Summer.


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