snowmageddons

[karen]

Every one keeps saying we are having winters like the "old days". I found this article interesting
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/0 ... cientists/

We have had a tremendous amount of snow in New England the past few years. No going off the beaten path with out snowshoes. It has been -0 F many days and the snow just keeps coming. This is actually the first year I ever wrapped hives and I am glad I did because the temperatures have been brutal. I didn't put much on them, just some black palette wrap but it helps with the wind and gives some extra solar gain.

How is your winter going?

[clarkcraig]

In my area of Central Alberta, it has been a fantastic winter so far. I had bees flying hundreds of feet to drink water off my roof and deck in January (the last frost is usually the end of May). Lots of cleansing flight opportunities this year and it is supposed to be above freezing here for the next few days. Sort of makes up for the BRUTAL winter last year. My back is still sore from last years shoveling.

[karen]

It was in the 20's (F) today and the bees where flying in my home yard. The vent holes do not have snow over them yet but it is getting close. I found this hive because it had a mound on the cover.

buried_snow1.jpg

[Allen Dick]

Up here on the prairie, we are glad to see our hives drifted under and out of sight. Under the snow, it seems they have no problem breathing and the temperature, humidity, and darkness keep them calm. Lack of flight opportunities does not seem to matter. Buried hives come out of winter in better shape than exposed hives and some beekeepers actually go out and shovel snow onto their hives early in the winter.

As with all things in beekeeping, though, YMMV.

[Vance G]

When hives are covered one doesn't get that visible wastage of bees flying when it is literally suicide. They might just die and drop to the bottom board but I sure hate to see those dead bees all over the snow within a hundred yards of a yard of bees during the coldest part of the winter. I used to winter my bees on the downwind side of a caragana or lilac hedge and hope they went four feet under! Then about April, one day the roof would cave in and what a column of cleansing bees! Before the cave in if I dug in, I would see evidence of them cleansing on the roof of the snow cave and apparently getting back inside the hive! I like snow buried hives.

[karen]

I am glad my hives are covered in snow. Our temperatures have been unusually cold for our area. Most winters living on the coast gives us warmer temperatures but not this winter. We are below 0 F more days than not. Today is warmer than it has been at 18 F with winds @20 MPH. Tonight the wind chill will be -30's so I am glad my bees are in igloo's made by mother nature. Last nights storm missed my area of the coast, it swung off shore a tiny bit for about 30 miles and that tiny bit was my piece of the coast. South and north of here had 20 to 24 inches.

I have been testing bees for nosema for people with dead hives and hives they are worried about because on any fly day piles of dead bees are out the door. There is a lot of nosema around, most of the samples have been positive with a heavy burden. We are seeing more nosema than most winters. I wonder why? Is it the different weather we are having this winter? Or that more people have gone away from treating prophetically? I never treat unless I see a problem. For the bees I have been asked to check it is to late, they are either dead or the cluster is so small they will freeze on nights like we're in store for tonight. One beekeeper who has lost 2 of his 3 hives has brought the last hive into his cellar and is feeding it fumagillin with plans to bring it out on a few fly days. He is going to follow CC Miller's (Fifty Years Among the Bees) cellar wintering for the rest of the winter but I saw so many spores on the slide I checked for that hive I will be surprised if they pull through.

[Allen Dick]

Fumagillin is preventive, more than curative. Moreover, bees badly afflicted with nosema will not take syrup. Apparently HBH improves uptake, though.