Goran's post? that's deep snow!
Goran's post? that's deep snow!
todays news
Microclimate or different bees ...?
5-6 centigrade here today and no more for the best part of the day. I checked about a dozen hives all within 3 miles of here. Most have heavily insulated Perspex crown boards. On those that I checked most were tightly clustered immediately under the Perspex, clearly the warmest part of the hive. A couple were in slightly looser clusters, but still effectively shut down. One was pretty busy - considering the temperature - with bees leaving and arriving every 30 seconds or so. No obvious pollen from late ivy. This hive is one of three, all about the same strength, all have queens of the same age (and same mother).
No idea why ... it'll be interesting to see if it continues to be more active through the winter, or if it indicates some sort of malaise and doesn't make it.
As you can tell, it's been a quiet time in bee world
I was feeling the same so I have decided to do another stacked bar graph of the varroa drop through the winterOriginally Posted by fatshark
As you can tell, it's been a quiet time in bee world
Only half the hives are on varroa floors with sealed trays though, the rest are on solid floors
So it will be a bit more limited
Lots of pollen coming in today. 9c and bees are quite active.
Wow,
luckily here its about -3°C so the bees are sitting tight and getting ready for their oxalic treatment...
While I drink mulled mead and reflect on a year where I missed every target I set myself:
- from 8 -> 30 colonies I managed 26, then the wasps and bees destroyed 5 of them
- raise 50 mated queens -> managed only 40
- 200 kg honey -> managed only 140 (thanks to melisatrose - (but I have 100 frames of feed for next year)
I might have to set more realistic targets for next year... from 4-> 15 colonies, 50 mated queens, and 80kg honey methinks
Apidea activity half an hour ago
Ivy pollen and a white pollen coming into the nuc.
Why the queen excluder over the entrance ?
I put it over a couple of days ago as a makeshift mouseguard. Didn't expect such activity!
The small ones like that are awful pollen strippers...especially of big ivy baskets. Been there, done that....and felt the guilt
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