Re: How's Your Bee's
[Re: yukonjeff]
#7187843
02/18/21 12:45 PM
02/18/21 12:45 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,180 Oregon
beaverpeeler
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,180
Oregon
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If I pull this winter off ,I will go all in on singles next year. I managed in singles this past summer season and like it more than doubles now.
BP My bees have not flown since October. Won't fly until around April 15. You guys should have a maple flow starting soon I would think. Be good times for a beekeeper.
Treat your hives or the mites will overpower your bees during winter, they either starve out or mites get them . The cold don't effect them. In western Oregon the cold PLUS humidity can do them in. I have screen bottoms.
My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
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Re: How's Your Bee's
[Re: yukonjeff]
#7187852
02/18/21 12:51 PM
02/18/21 12:51 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,180 Oregon
beaverpeeler
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,180
Oregon
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At least one of my failures was a starve out. A better bee keeper would have been on that, but I just assumed since I hadn't taken any honey and they were in two deeps that they should have had plenty. After the blackberry flow there isn't much forage for them. I planted a late buckwheat crop but there were lots of grapes at the same time and they seemed to prefer sucking sweet grape juice then working the bloom.
My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
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Re: How's Your Bee's
[Re: yukonjeff]
#7187854
02/18/21 12:51 PM
02/18/21 12:51 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 15,697 MN, Land of 10,000 Lakes
Trapper7
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 15,697
MN, Land of 10,000 Lakes
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I stopped raising bees a few years back. First, I had an infestation of skunks. I caught 12 one year. There are a lot of potato and corn fields in my area. When they started spraying the fields near me my bees starting disappearing.
We are told not to judge all Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but are told to judge all gunowners by the actions of a few.
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Re: How's Your Bee's
[Re: The Beav]
#7188237
02/18/21 05:24 PM
02/18/21 05:24 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,796 M.T.V. Alaska
yukonjeff
OP
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OP
trapper
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,796
M.T.V. Alaska
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If I pull this winter off ,I will go all in on singles next year. I managed in singles this past summer season and like it more than doubles now.
BP My bees have not flown since October. Won't fly until around April 15. You guys should have a maple flow starting soon I would think. Be good times for a beekeeper.
Treat your hives or the mites will overpower your bees during winter, they either starve out or mites get them . The cold don't effect them. My daughter lives In Delta Jct and she just killed her bees every year due to the extreme temps. I live in the bush and didnt have any contact with other Alaskan beekeepers when I started. I had two hives wintering already but was asking about getting more bees ordered, and shipped out to me from a bee package supplier in Anchorage. I told him I wanted a package in case mine die. He said what ? you have bees still ? I said yes. He instructed me to go shake them out immediately before they fowl my equipment. I was shocked to say the least. He informed me that Alaskan winters were too long, too cold. Its normal wintering procedure in Alaska I come to find out. Well pig headed as I am I was not about to be stupid enough to shake out $500. worth of bees and then turn around and buy them back again. Thats crazy, and a bit immoral to me. Sure enough come spring both hives dead, bees stuck inside the comb had to get packages shipped out to me at great hassle and expense. This time I tried a little harder and that winter one survived, the next winter both survived ! thats 100 % the next winter (was last winter) I didnt feed enough and my sugar brick was too small and lost all four hives. Not due to cold or damp. I didnt feed enough. Now I have the four hives made from a two double queen packages last spring, and a better set up with a bigger sugar brick and more insulation I think I am good, but you never know. We will see.
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Re: How's Your Bee's
[Re: The Beav]
#7188311
02/18/21 06:02 PM
02/18/21 06:02 PM
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3,164 Pa.
Bigbrownie
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3,164
Pa.
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If I pull this winter off ,I will go all in on singles next year. I managed in singles this past summer season and like it more than doubles now.
BP My bees have not flown since October. Won't fly until around April 15. You guys should have a maple flow starting soon I would think. Be good times for a beekeeper.
Treat your hives or the mites will overpower your bees during winter, they either starve out or mites get them . The cold don't effect them. My daughter lives In Delta Jct and she just killed her bees every year due to the extreme temps. There’s a train of thought to do the same even here in Pa. Use only medium boxes, manage for the season, shake out bees into a few consolidated hives in the fall, and extract everything after last of brood is out. If you need to leave bees 80# of honey in two deeps every fall, and you could extract it....honey at $5 a pound...you net $400. Buy new packages in April ( this years price is $ 118 / 3# ). I’ve sat through two different talks on the subject, but haven’t been able to get myself to do it.
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Re: How's Your Bee's
[Re: old243]
#7188486
02/18/21 08:21 PM
02/18/21 08:21 PM
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3,164 Pa.
Bigbrownie
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3,164
Pa.
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I have been going to 8 frame boxes rather than 10, I have noticed that come spring , the bees hadn't been able to use the 2 outside frames. In cold weather they seem to go up and down rather than sideways.. I have moved the outside frames in against the cluster, to help some. Late in the winter. This year I put paper on top of brood chamber put a couple of holes in it and poured about 10 pound of sugar on it . added a 1 1/2 inch rim on that , to allow for sugar. Then inner cover with upper entrance. The bees were up working the sugar , last I looked. I am not able to lift the big 10 frames anymore. I was also planning to use 5 frame boxes , and stacking them . Had 1 colony had 2 deep boxes and 2 medium on top for honey they did real well. Was able to borrow some brood frames and start another nuc as well, from it. old243 I’ve had bees since 1974, but if I was starting over, I’d go to 8 frame boxes. Bees go up, not out. And as I’m getting older, I’d rather wrestle 8 framers than 10.
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Re: How's Your Bee's
[Re: yukonjeff]
#7584848
05/16/22 09:20 AM
05/16/22 09:20 AM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,289 Wisconsin
RdFx
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,289
Wisconsin
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Commercial bee keepers lost over 30 percent even with all their treatments and wintering down south....
RdFx
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Re: How's Your Bee's
[Re: yukonjeff]
#7584865
05/16/22 09:54 AM
05/16/22 09:54 AM
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Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 602 ontario, canada
old243
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 602
ontario, canada
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I went into winter with 7 hives, 2 alive in spring. I had done mite treatment , 4 times with oxilic acid late fall . Fed well, and added about 10 pound of sugar on top of each hive. Two appeared to die out early as there was still lots of honey, One was very high moisture in hive , think my fault. Have split my survivors. Purchased 3 new queens, up to 5 now. Put some swarm traps out. Apple blossoms are just starting. . Hopeing for the best, Interesting bugs, Just glad it is just a hobby. Some of the local beekeepers , lost a bunch. old243
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Re: How's Your Bee's
[Re: yukonjeff]
#7584870
05/16/22 10:01 AM
05/16/22 10:01 AM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,163 Piney va. soon be 19
cotton
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,163
Piney va. soon be 19
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dang bear got 3 out of 4 for me pretty sure the one hive sent out a swarm and i missed catching it ( was taking my granddaughter to the doc)
John 3/16
ifin your gonna be dumb ya gotta be tough VTA life member
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