I’m happy to report that my single hive from the end of 2014 has survived the winter into 2015. Last week the weather was nice enough – above 15°C – that I could open the hive and see how the bees were doing. I’ve posted a few pictures below, and here is a general report on the hive’s health:
My hive is 2 deep boxes with both a bottom and top entrance. This colony was a swarm that I captured last year, which was from a swarm captured the previous year. So this lineage has proven itself over a couple winters. I did not wrap or insulate this hive. It was left for the winter as you see it in the first picture below.
When I approached the hive, I could see a few bees using the bottom entrance, but most were using the top entrance/ventilation that I had put in place last fall. After I opened up the hive, I could see the reason why the top entrance was more popular. The bottom board of this hive was covered with about 2 inches of dead bees (pictured below). The moisture levels in the hive were quite high and there was some mould on the bottom board as well. I scraped off all the dead bees into the forest nearby. I left the top ventilation in place to help control any moisture that was present in the hive.
There were still plenty of bees within the hive, and the top box was still quite heavy with honey. I may swap the boxes in a few weeks if I go back and things are still looking good.
I was quite happy to see that there were a few bees bringing pollen into the hive. This is a great sign of spring and it means that the bees have found flowers and food!
I will be keeping a close eye on this hive for the next few weeks. A couple years ago, excessive moisture in my hives led to chalkbrood, which I didn’t catch early on. I want to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen this year. Hopefully this colony will build up its numbers and perhaps I can split it and start a new colony. I will also be on the lookout for swarms around me this spring. I’m aiming to have 3 healthy hives going into winter this year.
Very nice Chris, always a good site to see the bees coming and going. I lost two out of the seven hives that went into winter so far. One of the hive had a blocked lower entrance and when I took the top off, they were eager to get out. They were mad and got all over me.
Glen
Two from seven is not bad, especially considering it was the coldest February ever recorded.
I can’t remember where I read this, but I learned to turn the entrance reducer so the entrance is on the top, just in case dead bees gather at the bottom, the live bees can crawl over them and still get out. But, after seeing the pile of dead bees on the bottom board in my hive, I wonder if this makes it harder for them to remove dead bees once the weather is nicer.
I have my reducers at the top. And they were still Jamed with bees this week. This is the second time I have cleaned out all of the hives entrances. The first time was in March. I think we need to get out early even before the bees start flying, to make sure they can get out when the time comes for them to fly. And then again in a couple of weeks to do it again.
Hi Chris, glad to hear that your hive survived the winter. Good to see the bees returning with pollen too.
Unfortunately mine did not make it through the winter this time. Not sure what the problem was just yet, but I did have some late season swarms (in October) which may have weakened the hives. I’m just in the process of cleaning out the hives now. I’ll be putting out swarm boxes soon (in May) to see if I can capture another swarm this year. Anyway, if you hear of any swarms that you can’t get to this summer, I’d appreciate it if you could keep me in mind.
Are you going to the GRBA meeting next Wednesday?
Sorry to hear about your bees. I had a similar problem with late swarms the previous year. I think they can really hurt a hive. I’ll absolutely keep you in mind for swarms this year.
I’m still not sure about the meeting on Wednesday. Szabo is supposed to be there, so it could be a good meeting.
Thanks for that.
The meeting was good. The presentation by Tibor was very informative, and a bit depressing. It sounds like OMAFRA really doesn’t understand the scope & implications of the problem with neonicotinoids. I guess that’s why they set “aspirational targets” instead of real targets. Sounds like compliance will be optional for farmers.
Sorry I couldn’t make it. My wife had a meeting last night, and I didn’t have a babysitter. Sounds like it was pretty interesting though.
Nice.
I lost 1 of 2 hives this winter. There was evidence of disturbance at the lower entrance (skunk?) and the cluster was clearly high in the hive and eating wax even though there was honey lower down. 2nd hive seems to be doing well.
Sorry to hear about your dead hive, Brian. But perhaps you’ll be able to split your surviving hive this spring. All the best.
Chris, I am a new beekeeper, receiving my first nucleus in 1.5 weeks. I want to thank you for your informational videos. They are easy to follow, and have been a tremendous help!! Best wishes for a healthy bee season this year. Jan D – Colorado, USA
Thanks for the kind word, Jan. All the best for your first season! I remember how excited I was when my first nuc arrived.
Hey Chris. Looking for some advice. I split my hive this spring. Problem was I only had nine frames. I figured I’d add the tenth frame once they built up some. What I didn’t count on was how quickly they did build up. By the time I went to add the last frame. They had built comb from the top of the inner cover all the way to the bottom of the brood box and filled it with honey.
I don’t know if I should remove that comb or just leave it till next year. Toughts from anyone would be appreciated.
Thanks. Sandy in Ontario. L