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  • My first winter

  • Beginners forum, ask beekeeping related questions and get help from other experienced beekeepers. Please use the Search Feature please to avoid duplicated threads
Beginners forum, ask beekeeping related questions and get help from other experienced beekeepers. Please use the Search Feature please to avoid duplicated threads
 #9182  by Bobbysbees
 12 Oct 2020, 14:07
So its getting colder and there is a lot more liquid sunshine around rather than the conventional warm dry kind, which seems to of deserted us in the Scottish Borders. Maybe it got board of the lockdown.
Iv got one hive on a double national brood and one on a brood and a half. I did have a single drone cell foundation super on each in a hope of getting them drawn and some ivy into then. In hopes of at least getting some drawn supers to put on them in spring. Iv stuffed them both with 1to1 and pollen patties up till august then switched to 2to1 in mid September as the weather has been shocking.
Both seem to be pretty heavy to the point of back straining to lift, (super off) and have drawn half a super a piece of the drone cell foundation.
But there still seems to be a hell of a lot of bees in both. The double is over 8 frames top and bottom but only maybe 6/7 frames of brood in all. Tha brood and a half. Is over 6 to 7 frames top to bottom. Only brood in the bottom box maybe 4/5 frames.
Iv got fondant in my shed should i need it come January/Febuary.
Iv taken off the part drawn supers and got foil coated ,bubble wrap winter wraps on with an inch of polystyrene between them and the hive and sealed the crown boards with the same bubble wrap foil stuff and 3 inches of polystyrene above.
My question is am i missing anything?
 #9208  by AdamD
 13 Oct 2020, 10:01
Bees are often reluctant to draw and fill drone cells with honey.
I assume you don't have queen excluders on and you have treated for varroa?
 #9215  by Bobbysbees
 13 Oct 2020, 20:21
Yes i had slightly over looked the fact they wouldnt draw drone cell foundation late in the summer going into autumn. Bit of blonde moment there lol.
My excluders are off, feeding finished veroa strips are out. (I did notice the bees were very unhappy/defensive while the treatment was in.) And wraps and insulation is on.
 #9221  by AdamD
 14 Oct 2020, 14:40
Bobbysbees wrote:
13 Oct 2020, 20:21
Yes i had slightly over looked the fact they wouldnt draw drone cell foundation late in the summer going into autumn.
It's not information you will find in many books, I would guess.

Seems like they have been treated and well-fed andinsulated, so should be good. :)

Damp shady ground is not ideal as a location for winter; they do benefit for somewhere that's sheltered, but light and airy with some sunshine - moving to a blustery hill is a step too far however.
 #9222  by Bobbysbees
 14 Oct 2020, 15:44
The garden is sheltered on three sides and open to the south side. I do want to move them back about 10 or 12 ft nearly against the rear fence ,thats sheltered by a huge loral tree. As i now have the rear of the garden cleared of neck deep weeds. Lol. Mainly so that as they leave the hive they are up above head height before they get to the footpath and next doors front door.
Any advise on the best way/time to move them would be great too. As i have heard the 3ft 3mile rule and figure that this move doesnt fit that very well.
 #9227  by NigelP
 14 Oct 2020, 18:12
Wait for a cold spell mid winter and move them where you want them. You will lose a few but if you look at most bee flights in the rare warmth of winter they are re-orientation and poop and back inside.
 #9229  by Bobbysbees
 14 Oct 2020, 19:44
Thanks for the advice. Will do it that way rather than messing about creeping them back a foot or so over each week, which was my original thought. It will save faffing round trying to level them each time and means i can just level and flagstone the desired location and wait for an opportune moment later in the winter to hoist them in to the new position. :)
 #9759  by joe10
 08 Jan 2021, 17:42
I had a similar problem, thanks for this advice, maybe too late for me this year, but very useful.

Thank you!
 #9761  by NigelP
 08 Jan 2021, 17:46
Moved three of mine about 10 yards to a new stand about a week ago. Temps up here have been frosts every night and daytime rarely above 2-3C. Not a bee flight seen and unlikely to be any for quite a while, so not anticipating any problems when they do get some flying weather.
Whenever that may be, -5 forecast for tonight.
 #9763  by Steve 1972
 09 Jan 2021, 10:02
This winter has been the coldest and most prolonged cold spell of my beekeeping days..and I can not remember the last time I have had to work in so many -0 mornings where all the scaffolding tubes and boards have all been stuck together..