# Winter Management of Observation Hive



## zackwash (Sep 13, 2012)

I'll be setting up a four frame observation hive in a window frame of a friends house this winter. He's an advocate of apitherapy and will be taking about 20 bees from the hive per day.

Big Question:
If the hive is being fed and the inside temperature is warm enough, will the hive rear brood? Or will the hive act as any other wintering hive?

Anybody had any experience?
Thanks!


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The colony will act like any other wintering hive. After the solstice they might raise a small patch of brood now and then, but nothing serious. Your hives outside will be doing the same.


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## Keefis (May 4, 2012)

Zack,
Apitherapy..? 20 bees per day..?
Is your friend stinging himself with them? Whats the deal? 
Does he put them on salads like croutons or something? Now that I think about it, they would be quite crunchy.


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## Graperunner (Mar 13, 2012)

zackwash said:


> I'll be setting up a four frame observation hive in a window frame of a friends house this winter. He's an advocate of apitherapy and will be taking about 20 bees from the hive per day.
> 
> Big Question:
> If the hive is being fed and the inside temperature is warm enough, will the hive rear brood? Or will the hive act as any other wintering hive?
> ...


How did the observation hive work out for your friend, for there apitherapy ?
How did they harvest the bees?
Did you go with four deep frames and would you go larger to be able to harvest that many bees
My wife wants one so she can harvest about 10 bees every other day year round.


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## davemal (Mar 6, 2015)

A lady comes to my apiary about once a month. I am in mid-MD. She has herself stung in the small of her back six times each day to counter the effects (aches, pain, nausea) of a cancer protocol she is on. I cut a 5-gallon water container (the ones with a handle from Home Depot.) leaving the handle but removing the balance of the bottom half. Makes a nice funnel for bees. It is cold here, but we manage to quickly open the hive and shake sufficient bees from the candy that is in the feeding shim into the funnel and into a jar with screened top which she keeps warm until arriving home and putting the bees in a wooden box having 1/8th hardware cloth on the face. Inside is a chunk of comb to which she adds honey. Bees survive well. The box is kept indoors. She is exploring the Bee Buddy, too, which would allow them to fly and return because of there being a queen lure in the box.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

https://www.facebook.com/topbarbeehive/videos/1519039058122619/I modified one of my TBH nucs so I could fit a canning jar to the outside of it to collect bees. Works well as long as it's in the 40's-50's, which is our normal winter. Curious guard bees investigate the new light source.









Video of it in use is here: https://www.facebook.com/topbarbeehive/videos/1519039058122619/


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