one frame colony over winter with heater

[Finski]

I have told that I have one frame colony in firewood shelter.
It has 6W terrarium  heater. The cluster is about orange size.

I measured just now with infrared pistol the temp of hive and cluster

out temp -6  C
cluster temp middle +17C

the walls of nuc +7
heater +7

we had a week period night -30C and day short peak -15C

it seems to go over winter. There is no poo in the hive and no condensation.

Cluster have spreaded partly along the heater.

After cleansing flight  i take more bees couple of frames from bigger hives.

[T Beek]

Finski!!  ONE FRAME!!??  You are too much man 8-).

thomas

[BlueBee]

Finski, you are the master of the bees!

What is your plan for building up your one frame colony in the spring?  I think you mentioned before that your pollen patties didn't help your small colonies.  If not patties, then what?  Are you going to add frames of brood from your big hives?

[Finski]

.
That colony has only value of spare queen.  it was late autumn when I noticed that it is too small to survive over winter and our winter will be hard and long.


I put heater to 5 other hives too  but i do not know how they are doing under snow.
Surely they have got aid from electrict.

That experiment just tell how important is the heat to bees. 

under 5 uccupied frames colonies are too slow to start in spring. Half of bees will die in spring before new bees start to emerge and they are few. 

many wish that a small cluster - small food consumption - rapid spring build up
but every word in that poem is impossible and reason is nature laws of bees.