1) I've seen weights quoted on deep hive bodies full of honey but are there numbers somewhere of what an empty 10 frame deep with drawn frames weighs? (I want a comparison for checking the weight of my hives this winter). I'd go weigh it myself but all my deeps/frames are on my hives;) What is a ballpark idea of when a hive starts to get dangerously low on honey stores? I know I should look inside but I think it is too cold. Can I pull out a frame or 2 if temps are in the low 40s to get a better idea of where they are at with honey stores?
2) I put some dry sugar on my hives before I closed them up for winter, a couple weeks ago I peeked in and found they'd eaten 1/2-2/3 of it and the rest was pretty hard...can they still take in the sugar if it has absorbed moisture and become hard?
thanks.
Jay
If you have any idea what weight you would be lifting. You can get a good hold on the bottom board
with one hand on each side near the rear of the hive. Now start to lift it up slowly and gently until the back side clears the stand. It doesn't take much, an inch or two. You can get a general idea how much
stores you have. Brushy Mountain list shipping Wt. for an assembled deep with cover and bottom board at 45 pound, 35 un assembled. So I guess it would be somewhere from 50 to 70 pounds empty for two deeps, bottom board and cover.
I have two colonies with two deeps and 3 medium that I still cannot lift. so I guess they have stores enough. :)doak