A sad day this week when the weather warmed to 50 degrees and I went to check on my hives: Two colonies down due to the weather. I'm hoping the others don't succumb.
The girls had food, but I'm guessing the population wasn't sufficient to keep the hive warm enough during the protracted cold spell known as the 2014 Winter Vortex.
The girls had food, but I'm guessing the population wasn't sufficient to keep the hive warm enough during the protracted cold spell known as the 2014 Winter Vortex.
Details. The bees shifted a bit, but had their heads in the comb.
I had put candy boards on this hive, late this fall. The board still had plenty of candy on it when I checked the hive. It did not look as if it had been touched, really.
The bees had decent stores in the late fall, but not a lot. I did not take any honey from this hive as it was a new colony. Their population was a bit lower than I like.
Lesson Learned.
1. In hind sight, I should have combined these with the other colony I lost. That would have saved both. But who can predict the weather?
2. The other idea would have been to boost the population in the fall. Frankly, I'm not a very good judge of how much is enough, other than going by weight. But on the newer colony, I should have simply done it.
Until next time, see you around the hive!
tim
I had put candy boards on this hive, late this fall. The board still had plenty of candy on it when I checked the hive. It did not look as if it had been touched, really.
The bees had decent stores in the late fall, but not a lot. I did not take any honey from this hive as it was a new colony. Their population was a bit lower than I like.
Lesson Learned.
1. In hind sight, I should have combined these with the other colony I lost. That would have saved both. But who can predict the weather?
2. The other idea would have been to boost the population in the fall. Frankly, I'm not a very good judge of how much is enough, other than going by weight. But on the newer colony, I should have simply done it.
Until next time, see you around the hive!
tim
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