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  • From: Mike Rock <mikerock AT mhtc.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Buzz kill! Is this 'bee Armageddon'?----serious problem for all.
  • Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:46:34 -0500

Carla,
We normally overwinter and loose about 2 or three. Just make increase in the spring and refill them. I have a VERY sheltered spot, no wind from NW and direct sun all day, so have had normally low losses. In 1991 we had 25 and had several go over three hundred pounds. Oh for the good days again. My wife was an old country Norwegian and all the queens had Viking names!

Mike



carla safran wrote:
Hello,

I have a several hives here in Missouri, and have lost in the past to
winter weather. This last year when temperatures were reported to be 20 below
zero I figured I had to do something to protect my bees. They can usually
stand temps in the teens and occasional single digit for short duration. I
bought insulation from the hardware store, wrapped it in plastic tarp (to
keep it dry and stay enclosed,) covered my hives with the tarp, secured them
with bales of straw on either side and hoped for the best. A fellow beekeeper
friend of mine told me that the insulation would keep the hive too warm and
the bees would go through their stores too fast. So I fed them when
temperatures were less freezing. I took off the insulation when temps stayed
in the forties. They seemed to do just fine, plenty of bees this Spring, have
had to put up suppers to give them more room. Granted luck fell on my humble
amount of hives but I'll do the same next winter if need be.


From: rstewart AT zoomtown.com
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:58:11 -0400
To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Buzz kill! Is this 'bee Armageddon'?----serious
problem for all.

Mike


How many did you loose and why?


I lost nearly 1/3 of my 30 colonies. One as a direct result of my own actions and all
the rest to winter freezing...a natural event that happens to "wild" colonies
and kept, still with a good 30 to 50 pounds of honey in stores. Sometimes it simply
gets too cold for some colonies to make it. We had a bad winter. Normal losses are
always between 10 and 20% and have been since modern beekeeping allowed humans to keep
bees alive to harvest the product of the hive.














Richard Stewart
Carriage House Farm
North Bend, Ohio

An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855

(513) 967-1106
http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com
rstewart AT zoomtown.com _________________________________________________________________
The New Busy think 9 to 5 is a cute idea. Combine multiple calendars with Hotmail. http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?tile=multicalendar&ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_5


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