Reading how everyone is doing, Flows, Swarms, splits and everything else that goes along with warm weather is just making me depressed. Its snowing right now and the forcast is not looking better for the next ten days. I had a over winter nuc that made all the way through winter then died in a snap cold front and snow storm last weekend
i feel the same sometimes. it's raining, 38 degrees, and just gloomy. oh well, our time will come :-)
You guys need to move!
Steve
Dont feel bad. We have had 70 to 80 degree weather for two weeks then all of the sudden we had 2 feet of snow. Quite a few bees died but the rest of the hive is still inside. We have more cold, snow, and rain headed our way for the next three to four days. The trees were blooming, flowers were coming up and not no more blooms because the frost got everything. It seems just when the weather is getting good for the bees mother nature throws them for a loop. Dont get me wrong we need as much water as we can get.
Don't know how you guys are able to deal with "cabin fever" with all that cold and miserable conditions. We're not in Florida, but S. Alabama, had to mow the grass here for the first time this year back in mid February. If you need a break, load up and come down to help us make a few splits. Bring some short sleeve shirts and shorts and a well ventilated bee suit!
:bee: :bee: :bee:
I never get cabin fever because I spent the last 5 month out side plowing snow. I guess I get truck Cab fever
Hey...everyone else up north is moving down south, you might as well pack your bags and move to Dixie too. We need more Yankee Beekeepers down here.... :-D
Yeeee Haaawwww!!!
Then again Danno in August when its 2000 degrees out with a humidity of 5000% and everywhere I go I get soaked from the sweat, I can't sit on my car seat with out the chance of 3rd degree burns you can think about how nice it is in Michigan during the summer
Keith
Danno:
Your post topic set off our DEF-CON 4 Forum Software alert, sending all the mods to their preassigned underground bunkers until the alert was determined a real threat or a false alarm... :bee: ok... just kidding, but it made me look :)
It has been cool and damp in this part of NJ also for days, the bees are flying but not happy at all and I'll gladly keep my distance until a bit more heat and sun deside to settle in.
The shame of it all is that we tend to have very short Springs and Falls, it seems Summer and Winter really hog up most of the year. I'd love to have days in the low to mid 70s and nights in the low 50s, my windows would never be closed.
But as soon as the heater goes off, the AC goes on here - just isn't fair. But the bees are ready for our big Spring pollen rush only a week or two away, then I get to move the bees to the new house here, after they store up on a massive amount of pollen from over 120 trees lining the main street of my old town.
Until the weather agrees and we get past that, I never think of it as bee season. Many years we have totally missed the pollen flow because it was too cold or rainy for flights - I'm hoping this isn't one of those years, but it is 47 out now and that is the high, very damp and always overcast.
It's a big country, we need to tell ourselves that. Living in a climate where the weather is always nice has it's drawlbacks too - most pest related, but just imagine, we get to see trees change, snow fall, grass that don't need mowing 365 days a year - it's a trade off, but I like the seasons, just wish more Spring and Fall were around to enjoy.
I guess you guy are right. You can always put more cloths on but you can only take so much off plus in the south there are to many things that bite. Spiders just creep me out!! Snakes dont bother me but None are poisonous here
Seriously though, I do feel for you guys in the land of never ending winter. Here its 65F, but its been raining for the better part of the last week. Some sever local flooding. At least one of our farm ponds had the darn break, the county road we live off of has been washed out twice in the last two weeks. The county fixed it Saturday only to get another round of uncommonly hard downpours to wash it out again. I'm sitting in the family room at my computer looking out at a small break in the clouds right now. The beaver pond of 3.5 acres at the lower edge of the yard has a lot of color from a construction job up creek from us, the city is putting in one of those "ready to occupy" buildings hoping to entice a new manufacturing company into town. Lots of trash coming from the site, such a shame. The ground is so soft I can't get my power wheelchair (with high flotation wheels) to power through the muck to check the hives. From here they all look ok though. Both of our high power (400 mile capacity) electric fences are dead. Probably from trees blowing over on them. Oh well, just one more thing to do come fair WEATHER. The hives were growing so fast before the rain. 15 Langs, 2 Long Hives, 5 nucs, and an Obsevation Hive. Gonna have to do some more splits ASAP.
:bee: :bee: :bee:
Hang in there Danno, Missouri is just a unpredictable when it comes to weather. I am anxious as well. Painted some hive boxes today getting ready for the packages due the 22nd. Hope it warms up soon.
David
San Diego is perfect. to bad so many other people think so also.
poor ole danno, if you came down here you wouldn't like the dearth period, its long (about 3 months) then what would do, all then yankee's need to go back up north, drive the price of land up :evil: , but seriously :'( :'( :'( :'( :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
Quote from: Shawn on April 01, 2009, 02:05:16 PM
Dont feel bad. We have had 70 to 80 degree weather for two weeks then all of the sudden we had 2 feet of snow. Quite a few bees died but the rest of the hive is still inside. We have more cold, snow, and rain headed our way for the next three to four days. The trees were blooming, flowers were coming up and not no more blooms because the frost got everything. It seems just when the weather is getting good for the bees mother nature throws them for a loop. Dont get me wrong we need as much water as we can get.
10 years in Boulder and that was always hard to take...ah YES, it's SPRING, hiking, frisbee in the park, cleaning out the garage...then dump! Branches break, flowers die, everybody's stuck in the snow because they removed the snow tires already...and it was just a reminder that in 5 months or less we'll see that white stuff again...
Quote from: danno on April 01, 2009, 01:57:55 PM
Reading how everyone is doing, Flows, Swarms, splits and everything else that goes along with warm weather is just making me depressed. Its snowing right now and the forcast is not looking better for the next ten days. I had a over winter nuc that made all the way through winter then died in a snap cold front and snow storm last weekend
I can relate Danno , same down here. of course your only 60 miles away.lol but I have a queenless hive the only one that survived the winter, and gave them a nice queen yesterday, checkd and she is either dead or frozen. :( And if its not warm in a week I got six packages I have to worry about putting in. yay!! But hey after this six in snow fall coming its gonna warm up to the 40's agian.
Hey there! Chin up...the first batch of baby bees should be hatching right about now!!! I'm keeping an eye on the observation hive and I'll be seeing cute white fuzzy bees any day now. Some evidence of SHB already too, though... :-x
We're almost there...couple of more weeks....
OH so so sad........we are having perfect low 70's with 50 nights. Cant get any better than this. This is the best thing about Placerville. We have perfect weather about 10 months out of the year. Really doesn't get to cold, and the hot days, well they are hot, but it's bearable.
Sorry guys you have to go through all that cold weather .
Quote from: danno on April 01, 2009, 01:57:55 PM
Reading how everyone is doing, Flows, Swarms, splits and everything else that goes along with warm weather is just making me depressed. Its snowing right now and the forcast is not looking better for the next ten days. I had a over winter nuc that made all the way through winter then died in a snap cold front and snow storm last weekend
This is why I live in FL. :)
Time to come south?
Last spring I didn't put my garden in until the 1st week of June. Seedlings were starting to get scarce. The greenhouses were selling out because so many people planted at the usual time and got frosted the did it again and then a 3rd time. Worst garden season I have ever had. I dont need a repeat of that
Dan, hear what you're saying. Our blackberry flow didn't start until July 4 or so, a full month late, the berries barely ripened to any kind of sweetness because of the lack of sunshine and the dwindling late summer sun, they need lots of sunshine to be ripe and sweet.
THis year is looking about the same. April 1 and we have had snow, sucks, it is wrong, not going to be another good year I believe. Barely planted any vegies last year, wonder if it will be the same this year. Beautiful day in the life that is great, great health wishes. Cindi
We've had rain or snow for the last week and a half. Snowed Yesterday, April 1. Last year we had snow on the ground on April 18 & 19, so why should this spring be any different. The silver lining is that we haven't had that month long low 20's cold snap we had for most of April and the 1st week of May--lost 3 hives due to that.
This year at least the bees are getting out and working so most days during the percipitation breaks. Neat to see bees flying right after the snow has stopped. The hives are building up at a more consistant pace this year and I haven't had to feed syrup either.
Frick. My bees are still not flying. I think in the past month they have had maybe 2 days where they could have really gotten out. THey have missed out for surely on that early spring pollen gathering. I still haven't been able to get inside to have a good look at my one remaining out of 9. Sad state of affairs.....beautiful days in our great lives, great health wishes to us all. Cindi