overwintering indoors

backyard warrior · September 21, 2011, 09:31:55 PM

Have any of you overwintered hives in your shops and if soo how did it go ??? Chris

Michael Bush · September 21, 2011, 10:29:16 PM

Try a search (here and elsewhere) on indoor wintering and see what you find. I think you'll find it is more complicated than it first appears which is why it is not a popular thing to do. It is much easier to find yourself doing harm than good no matter how well intentioned you are.

hankdog1 · September 21, 2011, 10:56:34 PM

Heard of others putting the hives inside a 3 sided shed during winter. That would probably be what I would experiment with in a cooler climate then down here in VA.

Hemlock · September 21, 2011, 11:24:30 PM

Brought a dying colony into the garage and nursed it back to health. The whole story past the link...

The set up: dying colony

Intensive Care Unit Bee Hive

Finski · September 22, 2011, 01:44:10 AM

.
When you winter bees indoors, it needs

temp under 7C
dark
fresh air ventilation

in polystyre hives adult colonies do not need cellar or indoor wintering.
One professional guy here take 5 frame nuc to indoor place. He sells hives.

If you have only 3 walls in the shed, it is not indoor. That kind of shed does not help bees.

BlueBee · September 22, 2011, 01:56:45 AM

There is lots of information about wintering bees indoors in the old bee books, circa 1910. You can download the books from Google books for free; they're out of copyright.

CC Miller's 50 years among the bees chronicles his attempts at wintering in the basement; what worked, what didn't work. It looks like it can be very tricky. I have not tried it.

What Finski says is similar to what the old bee books say.

I have kept bees outside in electrically heated hives over winter. That's almost like wintering indoors, but not in the total darkness the old timers used to use.

hankdog1 · September 22, 2011, 09:53:00 AM

Finski the shed doesn't do much but knocking off the windchill. This could probably be acheaved by putting up fences too. Just a thing I have seen others do. Complete waste of time for me but none the less it has it's pros and it's cons.

Finski · September 22, 2011, 11:00:08 AM

.
It is very expencive to build constructions for beehives.

I use as wind and snow shelter a piece of geotextile, about 1 m x 1,5 m.

Many use here unused cattle houses as wintering. But if ventilation is not good, all hives will get nosema . Losses are big when half of cluster dies. Not good business. i

Jim134 · September 22, 2011, 11:09:46 AM

Quote from: Finski on September 22, 2011, 01:44:10 AM
If you have only 3 walls in the shed, it is not indoor. That kind of shed does not help bees.

It will slow some of the windchill Just My $0.02

Quote from: Finski on September 22, 2011, 11:00:08 AM

But if ventilation is not good

On a 3 wall shed :?

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

GLOCK · September 22, 2011, 11:44:21 AM

Well i just picked up a load of 2+6+8 and 2+4+8s to build a wind break hope I'm not wasting my time or money.
I'm only building two sides to block the north winds plus I'm going to rap them with Colony Quilt you can find it at B&B ------ FARMS.
And some hay bales. Things look good going into full. Fingers crossed

Jim134 · September 22, 2011, 12:22:54 PM

Here is one I like.

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/2017/p1000862c.jpg

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,31805.0.html

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

mikecva · September 22, 2011, 12:49:06 PM

We do a one sided w/back with roof. The sides are bails of hay as is the back. these are on the windward side of the hives. The rood is old plywood or a rain tarp just to keep the snow off the hive. This works for us and the hay is reusable in the garden come spring. -Mike