I started two hives last year and went into winter nervous that they would not live and all my time and $$ would be in vain. They are both doing very well. I didn't harvest any honey last fall as they were package bees and they went into winter with two deeps and a medium full of honey. I was as proud as a peacock when we reached close to 65 degrees last weekend and they were both flying well. Both hives had a lot of bees coming and going. I even had them coming in with pollen. Where are they getting the pollen?
I did wrap the hives and vented the tops slightly. I also had a top entrance on both hives. I work in health care and tried something with the hives. I read that moisture condensation in the hive is a contributor to hives failing so I lined the telescoping cover inside with a chux. This chux is a lite weight moisture absorbing "towel" and holds a lot of moisture. I figured it would absorb the moisture and not drip it back onto the cluster. Seems to have worked well as the hives were in beautiful shape when I looked in and the chux was slightly swollen with moisture. I don't know, maybe just beginners luck but I am certainly very happy both hives are alive and kicking. The family is getting into the act and we will add three more hives this year for a total of five!! Thanks to all on this web site for the never ending stream of info.
Congrats!! Two deeps and a medium full of honey is overkill, and might not be doing them good. I read in this mont's bee culture magazine that too much honey over winter doesn't give the queen enough room to lay. The author said that 160 lb (two deeps) are honey bound. I think they wanted somewhere around 120 lbs (Ohio?).
Make sure you have enough room for your queen to lay. You don't want them swarming on you.
boxes full in spring are a problem. Boxes full going into winter is a good thing. the queen will lay in cells emptied over winter and brood can quickly consume a lot of stores before a main flow.
How much honey is left at this time? Bees can starve when laying a lot of brood and with large populations before a flow comes.
There's a difference in boxes too full and too much honey. There can't be too much honey if there's empty space to go with it.
60 lbs. is too much for a 2 mediums hive. 250 lbs. isn't too much for a 6 deeps hive.
Yes. That's the point I was trying to make. Too much honey can be a BAD thing going into the winter if there is no room for the queen to lay. I believe they recommended 120 lbs total weight for a double-deep. At 160 lbs, you run into trouble.
I suggest reading that letter to the editor in Bee Culture Magzine this month.
Ken
The op's hive has 2 deep and 1 medium. 30 lb. in the medium leaves only 130 in the 2 deeps. Only 10 lb. over the article recommendation. With what they ate over winter in upstate NY, he should be well below.
"I was as proud as a peacock when we reached close to 65 degrees last weekend and they were both flying well." - Congrats. Like everyone else on the forum, I wish you on-going success. Keeping bees is a neat experience and very fulfilling.
Regards,
Tucker1
Quote from: BillyMac on March 23, 2010, 09:58:48 PM
I work in health care and tried something with the hives. I read that moisture condensation in the hive is a contributor to hives failing so I lined the telescoping cover inside with a chux.
That's hilarious!! The first off-label use for a Chux pad that I've heard of :) I work in healthcare, too. Maybe I should do that next year!
Congrats on your excellent success. It's very neat your family is getting excited also. Mine is, too! Is beekeeping awesome?
luvin' honey
I wasn't sure if the two deeps and medium would be overkill but I wanted to err on the side of caution. They still have honey left in the mediums, probably about 50-60% full. I don't know if you guys know wildbranch but he has been helping me and without his help I know I would only have one hive at this time. A mentor is invaluable. I can't thank him enough. The hives went into the winter one strong and one weak. He did think my strong hive was close to being honey bound in the fall. He couldn't lift it and he's one big dood. The strong hive actually filled both mediums with honey in the fall so rather than harvest one I put it on top of the weak hive for winter. I do baby my bees :).
Luvin Honey you gotta try the chux next winter :-D and let me know how it works. We may be on to something.
I know they have some room for laying but I am nervous about swarming. I'll be watching them closely.
Thanks for the feedback hopefully this year we harvest some of the sweet stuff :lol: I've got three more 5 frame nucs coming in May and am excited to get them going.
If you are worried about being honeybound you can pull a couple frames and freeze them. Replace them with empty frames and feed back the extra if you get a dearth or a new swarm.
It's easy to use 80 to 100 lbs over winter. If the colony was big going into winter you could use more.
Buzzbee,
Thanks, I never even thought to take a few frames out and replace with empties. I do appreciate the advice.
Billy Mac