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  • From: James Latimer <pipesnc AT live.com>
  • To: Scott Sipe <cscotts AT gmail.com>, "ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org" <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Thirsty Hive
  • Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2016 09:29:18 -0500

Scott,
I would expect the bees to be doing everything you said.  With the warm weather last week, lack of opportunities to forage until then, and spring coming.  The queen laying requires food to raise brood, the flights take energy they were not using while in a cluster.

I inspected 4 hives this weekend.  The 2 with the least amount of honey stores I placed top feeders on with 3/4 of a gallon in each of a 2:1 cane sugar mix.  All was gone by Monday afternoon.  My bees are hungry after starting this seasons work.

I have a Deep and 2 mediums on the hives, I rotated the now empty deep above the medium with new and capped brood at the bottom, honey medium placed above the deep.  Giving room for the queen to lay.

Keep on Keeping on,
Jamie


From: cscotts AT gmail.com
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2016 16:43:43 -0500
To: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [ocba] Thirsty Hive

This last Saturday I put down a batch of 2:1 syrup that I made with about 5 lbs of sugar. I didn't quite fill up the hive top feeder all the way, but it was quite full.

By noon Sunday, just about 24 hours later, there was not a drop of syrup remaining, and the number of bees hanging out in the screened off portion of the feeder was as high as I've seen over the last year.

This hive is in one 10-frame deep, feels reasonably heavy (I don't have much basis for comparison), and the cluster takes up about 5-6 frames. Attached is a picture I took with a thermal camera from underneath the hive (on 2/12 when the outside temperature was about 29-30). You can kind of make out the bars (dark colors), dead bees that have fallen onto the screened bottom board (small dark blobs) and the cluster (big yellow ball).

With no basis of comparison, is that normal for this time of year? Good / Bad / Neutral?

Thanks,
Scott
(I posted this to the Durham list too, so sorry if anybody is getting this as a duplicate message!)



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  • [ocba] Thirsty Hive, Scott Sipe, 02/22/2016
    • Re: [ocba] Thirsty Hive, James Latimer, 02/23/2016

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