# Florida "Winterization"??



## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

It's a whole different mindset. Not summer/winter but flow/dearth. You are always in one or the other. Rain, not snow, is the enemy that has to be managed. It is what curtails flying days, not cold. If you manage for flow and dearth and forget about "winter", you will stay ahead of the curve and your hives will always be ready for whatever comes.

When I was in Sarasota, the hives had brood year round so mites and beetles put way more pressure on them. I rarely had natural brood breaks, so had to make my own. There were no months on end when I didn't need to pay attention, the way our northern brothers don't. I needed to be in my hives regularly every month of the year.

HTH

Rusty


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## kopelia (Jul 4, 2013)

Thanks for the advice, good to know I need to be a bit more active in my hive(s) and what to look for. I guess I just have winter on the brain cause there are so many threads about it and i was wondering what people down south do. Especially us down here where the seasons barely change....


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## ksirovy (Mar 26, 2013)

I just have to weigh in, it's funny hearing about the different issues the southern people have! It's snowed here three times already has been 13 degrees and tonight will hit 10. Not even the 15 of November yet.


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## kopelia (Jul 4, 2013)

Hehe...today it was about 85 with a nice breeze. Perfect bee weather if I do say so myself. The hive has been super active the last few days so there must be nectar out there somewhere. Plus they are busy re-sealing the entrance reducer I ripped out while investigating a large blob of propolis above it to find nothing was wrong inside. What do you guys do about ants?? They don't seem to be a huge problem, but I do see one or two coming/going from the cracks between the boxes...


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## Edymnion (May 30, 2013)

kopelia said:


> Hehe...today it was about 85 with a nice breeze. Perfect bee weather if I do say so myself. The hive has been super active the last few days so there must be nectar out there somewhere. Plus they are busy re-sealing the entrance reducer I ripped out while investigating a large blob of propolis above it to find nothing was wrong inside. What do you guys do about ants?? They don't seem to be a huge problem, but I do see one or two coming/going from the cracks between the boxes...


I buy ant stakes and put one in the ground next to the hive. The bees show no interest in it at all, and it makes sure any ants that come near the hive are taken care of.


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## rweaver7777 (Oct 17, 2012)

Edymnion said:


> I buy ant stakes and put one in the ground next to the hive. The bees show no interest in it at all, and it makes sure any ants that come near the hive are taken care of.


Ant Stakes? I am new to this concept. Can you give a brand or retailer?


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## Patrick in Gizo (Jul 12, 2013)

Thank you Rusty,
Yes, its dearth and flow, keeping bees in the tropics. I'm in the Solomon Islands, 8 degrees south of the equator. We don't have as many diseases as you North Americans, Europeans, Australians, etc have to deal with but we do have FROGS and skinks. So we start with a stand, to keep the 1st brood box at least knee high off the ground. And if you cross-brace the stand, do not make it diagonal (an easy wheel chair ramp to dinner). I have 2 of my hives on such and until I build a new stand, have to knock off frogs daily. I was thinking of employing a 9 iron, but swinging a golf club in front of our hives is not appreciated! My other hives, including a TBH are doing well but we do have to be careful to leave enough honey stores for the dearths. Enjoy yourselves.


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## gone2seed (Sep 18, 2011)

I took my supers off today and put them "to bed" for the "winter".I will do nothing more until mid December when they will get a slow feed to start them building up for the January maples.Here you can let them build on the maples but I like to jump start mine.They will continue to find a little pollen on sunny days.


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## kopelia (Jul 4, 2013)

I'm not exactly sure what to do. I have one deep super for a brood box, then one ten frame medium on top of that. The frames in the top super have foundations in them with the pressed honecomb pattern made of beeswax on them. I have 5 frames empty and 5 with foundation, staggered, to see which they prefer. There is not much activity in the top box right now, no comb or storage of any kind. Should I remove it just for the sake of keeping the bees warmer? Or would this allow to increase storage if there were a brief flow of nectar? 

Did the same stagger with foundation/foundationless in the brood box, and found they did gravitate to the foundationed frames first. but I suppose it could be because it was already kind of started for them and these were placed between full frames of foundationless comb. As of yet they have done nothing to the foundationless frames on the other side of the comb. And thanks for the tip on the ant stakes...I think you can find them in like Lowes or something. I've seen them around before....


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## TPalmer (Jun 11, 2012)

The things that I am noticing for this time of year with my 3 hives is robbing. Over here on the west coast we are in a mild dearth since the Brazilian Pepper stopped blooming. So one thing you might want to look into and read up on are robbing screens. As Rusty said we live not by seasons but flow/dearth. So when in a dearth look out for robbing going on in your hives. Also the other thing to look out for and check for is the Small Hive Beetle. I have an oil tray with a screened bottom board and Beetle blasters in the frames just to keep them in check. I have notice that they are not as bad this time of year from what I experienced through last summer. Just so you know I'm new to this beekeeping game also, so don't take anything I said as gospel. Just things that I have observed and problems that I have run into.


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## Bees In Miami (Nov 30, 2012)

kopelia....Winter preparations in our area? Build more supers and frames! You will need them by mid December when the flow really kicks in! Our little cold snaps don't phase the bees. I am building supers tonight, and will be adding them by weeks end. My populations have absolutely exploded in the last week or so. I would fully expect the same for you! All this you read about winter preparations do NOT apply to us! This is the beginning of our "season"! :applause: Our dearth is in our summer, when our Northern beeks are busy. We are the absolute opposite. You mention a nearly empty super...honestly, leave it on. They can have that filled in two weeks once the flow starts. The Brazilian pepper flow is over, but the Meleluca is just beginning...and many other flows coming soon. If your bees are established in a deep, you won't ever have to think about feeding them again. (I know...I know....you are scratching your head... :scratch: ) Forget everything you have read about 'winterizing'.

Editing to add....Ants? A strong colony should not have an issue. Plus they have probably propolised the inside of that crack. Cinnamon does wonders! I had one hive the bull ants kept trying to set up shop inside the inner cover. A few treatments with cinnamon, and they never returned. You can sprinkle cinnamon on the ground around the hive, and that will keep the ants away. Go to the dollar store, and buy 10! lol Seriously, it works great.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

Winter in Florida :lpf::lpf::lpf:


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## kopelia (Jul 4, 2013)

honeyman46408 said:


> Winter in Florida :lpf::lpf::lpf:


C'mon...I'm new and all this talk of winter is freaking me out! LOL


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## kopelia (Jul 4, 2013)

Thanks, I wasn't sure if it was the same for bees as it was for fruits and veg down here...but duh, it makes sense it is. Thanks for the advice, and I'm going to order a couple supers soon so it's good to know I am getting them at the right time. And yeah, the ants don't really seem to be a problem to the bees, except when they walk on the ground around the hive, you can see they are bothered by the ants.


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## Mr_Clean (Aug 31, 2013)

Kopelia: You are welcome to visit us at the Palm Beach County Beekeepers Association; visitors are free. http://www.palmbeachbeekeepers.com/

I am a new beekeeper and was wondering a similar thing. Posted a similar question on the PB County Beekeeper Association forum today. Maple and Willow flows are supposed to start in December. If you registered your hives, they should have emailed you a newsletter that mentions the flows by month and region of Florida.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Patrick in Gizo - welcome from Patrick in Texas. A nine iron to clear off frogs, that is priceless. Guess bee keeping has different issues no matter where you go. However, with my aim your stands had better be sturdy and hope those bees don't mind jarring thumps for when my aim is slightly off. :no:

I think we need a tropical bee keeping thread here somewhere for the folks in states bordering the Gulf of Mexico and are within 50 miles of the coast of the hurricane maker, also for southern California people, folks in Mexico, and of course those people lucky enough to live in the islands. For a first time bee keeper reading all this winter prep stuff (even in the books) is confusing and somewhat misleading when you live somewhere were you might see frost a dozen times a year or have to drive 100 miles to show kids that ponds can and do freeze over. 

Mr. Clean - Can you provide me with a contact of who sends out that newsletter? I know we get slightly cooler than you do, but I cannot find that information around here. It would be useful to have that type information for planning actions when we start warming up. 

Thanks


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## TPalmer (Jun 11, 2012)

> I think we need a tropical bee keeping thread here somewhere for the folks in states bordering the Gulf of Mexico and are within 50 miles of the coast of the hurricane maker, also for southern California people, folks in Mexico, and of course those people lucky enough to live in the islands. For a first time bee keeper reading all this winter prep stuff (even in the books) is confusing and somewhat misleading when you live somewhere were you might see frost a dozen times a year or have to drive 100 miles to show kids that ponds can and do freeze over.


I agree. We play by a whole different set of rules.


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## Mr_Clean (Aug 31, 2013)

This is the link to the newsletter.

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/honeybee/extension/melitto.shtml


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Mr. Clean - You the man. Many thanks. 

I know that TX must have something but have not been able to locate it, but of course it might be from that Aggie land and well as I pull for LSU and the Saints, I just have issues looking around on the Aggies webpages.

:lookout:


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## Mr_Clean (Aug 31, 2013)

Is this what you are looking for?

http://tais.tamu.edu/newsletter/


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## Edymnion (May 30, 2013)

rweaver7777 said:


> Ant Stakes? I am new to this concept. Can you give a brand or retailer?


These are the ones I use:
http://www.amdro.com/All-Products/kills-ants-ant-killing-bait-stakes/overview

Soon as I started seeing ants sniffing around the hive, stuck one of those in the ground at the base of the stand and the next time I checked, no ants. Didn't see a single ant near the hive for the rest of the season. I also use these in my raised garden beds.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

Kopelia, I'm trying to remember, did they fill out the remaining 5 frames in your brood box? I hoped they would, as you got the nuk just before the pepper flow. 

I wonder if amdro takes care of bull ants. They are not listed in the ad. I do have this to say about the ants though--this year I'm seeing far too many bull ants taking up residence under some of my hives, but what I found interesting is that in the first 8 supers of honey I brought home I only saw 2 beetles. Seems they are a blessing and a curse.


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## Patrick in Gizo (Jul 12, 2013)

> Patrick in Gizo - welcome from Patrick in Texas. A nine iron to clear off frogs, that is priceless. Guess bee keeping has different issues no matter where you go. However, with my aim your stands had better be sturdy and hope those bees don't mind jarring thumps for when my aim is slightly off. :no:
> 
> I think we need a tropical bee keeping thread here somewhere for the folks in states bordering the Gulf of Mexico and are within 50 miles of the coast of the hurricane maker, also for southern California people, folks in Mexico, and of course those people lucky enough to live in the islands.


Hey there P in Texas, your welcome to visit with your 9 iron any time. But the funny thing is that those pesky frogs haven't been back since we put the curse on them! Ha Ha. Glad to have provided a bit of comic relief.

Yes, so we have hereby started a "tropical beekeeping thread", all but in name. 

When I started out, I hunted high and low for others with bee keeping experience in the tropics. I was looking for information about ventilation in hot climates. We have just recently been invaded by "Asian Bees". Knew, they were coming, from Asia down through the Philippines, through PNG, into the Solomon Islands and month before last onto our small island of Gizo.

So... I reduced the entrances, built a new box, drilled and screened vent holes, that would be protected from the rain just under the lid edges and also in the bottom boards. Then started swapping out boxes, making the same renovations on the old boxes till all my hives have reduced entrances but hopefully adequate ventilation. As the seasons change or if I've put on too much ventilation the bees will propolize over part of the screens. So far touch wood, I've kept my hives free of those mite carrying Asian bees. Until now we have not had to deal with Veroa mites! THe immediate affect of the Asian's is to rob out your hives and move on to greener pastures. Leaving your bees devastated and with mites to boot.

Here in this 3rd world country, we do not have easy access to bee equipment and wooden ware, so we improvise. I am building all my boxes out of rejected hardwood flooring I had bought years ago, but found that the tongue and groves did not match up well enough for flooring, but well enough for bee hives. My frames are hand build from left over Rosewood and Vitex Cofassus, also known as Pacific Beech from my furniture projects. 

While I can buy foundation wax and stainless steel wire, they are expensive so I am going foundation-less, as much as possible. We use the crush and strain method anyway so as long as I am gentle with the handling of the frames, it works out. I've even started making my own furniture polish with bees wax and coconut oil. Started applying this on the outside of the boxes. 

I built my first Top-bar hive a few months ago and giving that a go. I just kick my self that I did not modify the plan to fit the full length of a Langstroth frame. Have a plan to screw on tabs of wood to a couple of Top Bars and put them into healthy Langstroth hive to get some foundation started. Propagating a new hive without having access to 
"packaged" bees is a challenge.
Enough for now, from 11 hours ahead of UTC, thank you BeeSourse, for beeing there.


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## kopelia (Jul 4, 2013)

bevy's honeybees said:


> Kopelia, I'm trying to remember, did they fill out the remaining 5 frames in your brood box? I hoped they would, as you got the nuk just before the pepper flow.
> 
> I wonder if amdro takes care of bull ants. They are not listed in the ad. I do have this to say about the ants though--this year I'm seeing far too many bull ants taking up residence under some of my hives, but what I found interesting is that in the first 8 supers of honey I brought home I only saw 2 beetles. Seems they are a blessing and a curse.


They sure did fill up those other frames! I ended up staggering them between the full ones you gave me. And they went to town on them! Now they are working on the medium super I put on top, I might put the queen excluder there and then add more boxes to the top of that. But all is well here in Pompano! Just got a little freaked when all this talk of winter came up, but now I realize that down here we need to look at nectar flow and not temperature as much. Also good to know about the cinnamon! Can you sprinkle it straight onto the landing board and elsewhere? I wonder if the bees mind it? Also thanks again Beverly for helping me make this happen. Without you I'd be a girl with an empty hive  You rock!!


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## Bees In Miami (Nov 30, 2012)

kopelia...Another female beek?!?!? :applause: I love it! :thumbsup: I would not suggest using the cinnamon on the landing board...my concern is it could cause a burning sensation (?? think atomic fire ball ??) I put it around whatever touches the ground liberally. Around the cinder blocks, legs of the stand, etc... What do you have the hive set on? I had one hive with bull ants in the inner cover....a few sprinkles of cinnamon in there, applied two or three times, and the ants never came back.


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## kopelia (Jul 4, 2013)

Cool! Right now I have my hive on a wooden pallet with concrete pavers underneath both the pallet and the hive. I need to keep it low since I'm only 5' 4" and if I add any more boxes I'll need a step ladder to get to the top! I'm going to try the cinnamon thing this weekend. I do see them taking wax moths dead out of the hive so that's kind of a plus....


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## Mr_Clean (Aug 31, 2013)

The "Mexican Clover" flow is on for me.


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## Swampsquash (Oct 25, 2014)

Mr_Clean said:


> The "Mexican Clover" flow is on for me.


Im sorry I know this is a old thread..... But how much nectar do you get from Mexican clover?


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## gone2seed (Sep 18, 2011)

No Mex clover,(purslane), here yet but the henbit is starting. The bees are bringing red/orange pollen.
>>But how much nectar do you get from Mexican clover? <<
I can't answer for Mr Clean, since his area is different, but here Mexican clover is a fill in plant that blooms all summer long. The bees work it eagerly but if I have ever had surplus I am not aware of it.


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