Girls are above inner cover in 20 deg weather??

[hollybees]

I just went to the hives opened the entrance and pulled the dead out (I have SBB's)
I do this occasionally to check the death rate, especially after a cold snap.
The "slide-out board" (i don't know what to call it) looked normal w/low mite count.
I peeked under the outer cover hive#1 there were some in the inner cover center hole.

But hive #2 it was full of bees spread out filling the entire space between the outer an inner cover.

Sounds like there are still a ton of bees in there, I left them about 80-90 lbs honey.
It's very sunny out but in the 20's should I be concerned?
What signs do you watch for to know if their stores are low, are there any "hunger test" methods??

Thanks
Paul

[buzzbee]

I'm sure the sun shining heated the air under the outer cover. i wouldn't be too concerned.Bees will fly if it's sunny,calm and in the thirties!!

[DaveKow]

I too found one of my hives was to the inner cover during similar temps.  I checked the other hive that has an extra super and saw nobody.  I thought that they might have died.  After a few moments, a couple bees came to see why the roof was off. 

I ended up doing a poor rendition of the "mountain camp method" on the hive that was at the inner cover.  Better safe than sorry.  Though I could have been safer than I was.  A lot of bees that came after me didn't make it back.  I under estimated how well they could come at you when it is only 43 degrees.

[hollybees]

I ended up doing a poor rendition of the "mountain camp method" on the hive that was at the inner cover.  Better safe than sorry. 

DaveKow....what is the mountain camp method???

Paul

[mherndon]

I also checked on my girls this weekend.  They were up to the inner cover and I also was worried.  I had a pollen patty ready and slipped it in.  I only had the cover up for maybe 15 seconds.  Several came out the entrance and it was 38 degrees.  I hope I didn't mess them up.  They had a medium and a shallow supper of stores going into Winter.

Mark

[DaveKow]

DaveKow....what is the mountain camp method???

Basically, it is dry sugar on top of newspaper, on top of the frames.  http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=19148.0

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,17003.msg124615.html#msg124615

[Brian D. Bray]

DaveKow....what is the mountain camp method???

Basically, it is dry sugar on top of newspaper, on top of the frames.  http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=19148.0

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,17003.msg124615.html#msg124615

They call it the mountain top method because the sugar is poured onto the paper and it resembles a snow covered mountain top.

[Michael Bush]

>They call it the mountain top method because the sugar is poured onto the paper and it resembles a snow covered mountain top.

Well actually a member of another forum uses this as their username (Mountain Camp) and he was a proponent of the method and so the name was a reference to him.

[BEES4U]

You might consider the application of a pollen patty under the dry granulated sugar used in the mountain camp method.
good Luck,
Ernie