Oops! Too cold?

[yes2matt]

I used some stored drawn comb to checkerboard the brood nest of a couple  hives yesterday. One had made a honey barrier along the edges and was making a tall skinny nest, the other was a situation I felt the bees could use some encouragement along the lines of colony growth. Yeah, I know, just let the bees...

Anyway, it's been nothing but warm here for weeks and I didn't check the forecast. Of course it got down to 29 last night. Gah!

How cold is too cold? For say a two-frame nuc, how cool can the nights be before we start to lose brood?

[divemaster1963]

if therre is eough bees to cover the brood and they have acess to the stores short term cold should be ok. if your worried enough get some roll insulation and make some covers to go over the hives that you can slip off and on. wall thickness can also be a problem. are they 3/4 or 1inch?  spring is crazy time with temps. but bees do have tricks to make it thru.

john

[Acebird]

spring is crazy time with temps. but bees do have tricks to make it thru.

In my area this is a very risky time to meddle in the hive.  It has been my experience that anything that I have done to help the bees resulted in disaster.  The best thing I can do is worry about them but stay out.  If the bees were allowed to, they have organized the hive in the fall in such a way that the majority of the times they will survive to the next season.  If mites are going to be their downfall then they are already dead.  If you did not cut short their supply of resources they will make it if the queen makes it.  It would be easy to blame weather for colony loss but it is unlikely that is the case if the hive was not disturbed in some fashion prior to spring nectar.  At this point in the climate change cycle the earth is getting warmer not colder.  Except for catastrophic hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and drought weather will not be a major issue for bees until the next ice age.

[yes2matt]

spring is crazy time with temps. but bees do have tricks to make it thru.

In my area this is a very risky time to meddle in the hive.  It has been my experience that anything that I have done to help the bees resulted in disaster.  The best thing I can do is worry about them but stay out.  If the bees were allowed to, they have organized the hive in the fall in such a way that the majority of the times they will survive to the next season.  If mites are going to be their downfall then they are already dead.  If you did not cut short their supply of resources they will make it if the queen makes it.  It would be easy to blame weather for colony loss but it is unlikely that is the case if the hive was not disturbed in some fashion prior to spring nectar.  At this point in the climate change cycle the earth is getting warmer not colder.  Except for catastrophic hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and drought weather will not be a major issue for bees until the next ice age.

I think if I move north I will have to relearn beekeeping. Last year I made a split second week of Feb. I'm in the brood boxes looking for swarm cells. Didn't find any :)

I'm not worried about the colony, but I only hope I didn't lose this whole round of brood by trying to get more. :/ that would be justice, though, wouldn't it!

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[Joe D]

Matt you are already well on your way to being up north, just picking. 


Joe Downing

[rookie2531]

I'm in the boat of wondering if they may have made their brood nest too big, too soon. We had a week of warm weather and I inspected a hive and found eggs on the first frame. I didn't even see it until I pulled the second frame and found capped. I went back to the first and said, wow she may be on this frame. I put it back and next two nights, it froze.
I was a little upset that I didn't get that medium off in time. That super is plum full of brood.

[yes2matt]

Update:  no chilled brood dragged out in front of the hive. Eggs and larvae in one of the interleaved frames, not the other. Silly bees. But all brood seems to be developing normally. So I got away with it. This time.

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[Michael Bush]

The most serious effect of chilled brood is when it doesn't die, but gets chalkbrood.  This is harder to clean out and sets the bees back quite a bit.  I would not be messing with the brood nest when it's still likely to frost at night...

[MimbresBees]

Wow, you didn't checkerboard anything, what you did was split the broodnest and destroy the ccluster and possibly killed your colony.
I can't believe these people here didn't set you straight.

Checkerboarding has NOTHING to do with the broodnest. NOTHNG WHATSOEVER.
Checkerboarding is Walt's manipulation tek of the honey band above the brood.

To late now, good luck, next time do more research, and stay away from facebook bee forums they have no clue.

[divemaster1963]

It wasn't set him straight. he already done the deed. to late to change it now it was time to try  and help save the hives if possible. even  if long shot. we don't shame anyone for doing something we try to help them fix there mistake and then go from their to as sit them on improving . we all learn from our mistakes. then try to steer them in the right direction of finding local mentors or groups to learn the best local bee raising techniques.




john

[iddee]

Good post, DM. No need to jump on anyone for trying something new.

[BeeMaster2]

If we did not constantly try new things that we never did before, we would all be still living in caves.
Jim

[Blacksheep]

Saw dust maker I feel the same way!What we did 40years ago is not the way now in most cases.