Beekeeping Biology For Winter Survival

[@lauralea3895]

Love your winter bee kind!!!!! It’s the best thing ever. It’s snowing here today and my bees are out under the roof eating some sugar that had dripped onto the edge when i made it. It was fun to see them active and healthy on such a bitter day. Thank you

[@lauralea3895]

An electric fence post works great for cleaning out dead bees. Love your candy board!!

[@marobroski2286]

Dziękujemy.

[@timothiabalentine5344]

Thank Mr. David Burns for all of your great information!!!❤

[@beek]

Hey, you're very welcome and thank you so much for watching the livestream!!

[@TraceySweet-d7e]

Love the waggle dance demo, lol! Thanks for all you do for the bee community!

[@beek]

Oh my gosh I cannot believe it landed on the waggle dance 🕺Thanks for watching my livestream!!

[@334trucker9]

Thanks for the awesome videos.

[@beek]

Glad you are able to join the livestream

[@joneswillis6836]

Hi David I can't watch you live so I watch your live teachings the next day. Oh, by the way, I really enjoyed watching you and Sherry making the winter be kind. My question is, can I use bee bread and pollen from harvested frames in my candy boards? Oh and I love watching all of your videos.

[@beek]

Thanks for watching! I don't see what it would hurt. Give it a try.

[@davidpotts3844]

Just a few months ago you just hit 500 views and now over 2500 views. Good Job David

[@garyduce8641]

❤

[@davidpotts3844]

I became a big fan of Varroxsan strips especially when there is a brood break. They give a constant slow release and very effective

[@beek]

I'm looking forward to getting to use them more in the spring. Thanks for watching my livestream!

[@MikePugh-qh2gg]

Some of my hives don't have winter behind boards so in the others, I have suger candy boards. Should I be feeding them a pollen patty

[@beek]

I mix my "pollen", protein into my feed.

[@ChanceHubbell]

I loved the waggle dance 🐝 🐝

[@beek]

Wasn't that crazy!!! That was my first successful waggle dance every 😀

[@doretheajohnson7402]

I put fondant on my hive a lar portion of the fondant is gone in the middle is it time to add more fondant

[@heirloomn.heritage7004]

Praying for our Beeks in North Los Angeles/Malibu and Pasadena/Altadena areas ++. Tragic firestorm destruction.

[@beek]

Yes, so many people are being threatened by this fire.

[@kyyurtman1416]

Is there a cluster moving coordinator? Because It kind of sounds like the cluster comes across a patch of food, consumes it, and then doesn't keep looking? It almost sounds idiotic that they can remember where a patch of flowers are 1 mile away but can't find it in the next frame over. I still don't see how they'd succumb to starvation. If there are frames of food.

[@LaFontaineHoneyBees]

In this case, cluster of Bees is in a state where it does not look around like crawling. They’re really really slow and they barely move and do it in a super slow speed so they can’t really find a food also the way you can find where they are to put whiteboard removable, and see where the wax broken cappings are located that’s where the cluster is.

[@charlesmaurer6214]

Snow on top will help hold in heat but it also will block outside heat reaching in. If it gets above freezing and the sun is out it would help to clear the snow, just like as you clear part of a drive the sun will help melt the rest. If it is night or overcast and freezing then clearing the snow would not help. Of course as you point out they still need some air so some air access does need cleared open, not the top but the entrances. Snow is cold so again you don't want it once it is above freezing.

[@DavidMilburn-n4e]

American bandstand would hire you

[@beek]

I've got the dance moves in this video!

[@geraltofrivia8529]

4. Condensation not ventilation (top insulation.)

[@aaronparis4714]

Gary we’re I am they cluster for about 6 months but warm up days they can move around

[@lawrenceamccoll6868]

CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, DID YOU NOT SAY THAT A CLUSTER WILL START AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BOTTOM BROOD BOX ON THE FRAMES AND MOVE UP? SOMETIMES DYING BECAUSE THEY STOPPED AT THE TOP OF THE BOTTOM BROOD BOX FRAMES AND DIDN'T CROSS THE GAP TO CONTINUE UP? BUT THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, ALSO CORRECT. THEREFORE, I AGREE THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO SOLVE THE OVERWINTERING STARVATION/FREEZING PROBLEM BY FEEDING/WRAPPING. OR, I MIGHT THINK LIKE A BEE AND "BUILD" LIKE ME.🐶🐵👶

[@beek]

No, I said the cluster is usually low in a tree going into winter, but as the winter season progresses the cluster moves up into the warmer part of the upper cavity and that is where honey is stored. However, if they move up there and eat all their honey they could starve.

[@lawrenceamccoll6868]

@beek I hope I'm not too OLD to learn this

[@beek]

Nope you're not!!

[@aaronparis4714]

Now question I want you to explain to me is why do you not insulate your hives ? You and I agrees that clustering is a sign of stress ! And it’s data out there that show and prove prove that it is a stress so if they are in a welll insulated hive the heat holds to the hive better and the bees stay warmer and is able to move around the hive they like a hive that is gonna hold the heat I have seen such a difference between wood hives and poly my bees don’t cluster in my poly hives when it’s -5 in my wood hives with vent holes no insulation my bees cluster and die they can’t move in -15 in a wood box it’s very hard for them to deal with temps so cold for so long that’s Canada don’t get me wrong many beekeepers can get them threw out winters in wood boxes that’s why Ian stepper puts his bees in a shed at a set temps the honey bees are not supposed to be in Canada lol or any cold areas so it’s a benefit it have a insulated hive ❤🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@aaronparis4714]

Look how thick that tree is lots of insulation look at the top that’s like R20 value of insulation value in that tree

[@aaronparis4714]

And that smart I make sure I have somthing on my tops to for them to each just incase more my singles my doubles they have enough food I don’t even have to feed them in spring there still in the bottoms boxes 3 more months to go we are just starting winter 😂

[@aaronparis4714]

But I feed my bees so they don’t starve not to make more brood were I am queens shut down for a few months it’s just to cold for them to keep brood warm around mid Jan she kicks in and starts to lay very small amounts but by end of March April is when she starts brooding alote

[@aaronparis4714]

I think the optimal temps for bees for winter is 5 degrees I think that’s what Ian keeps his sheds 5 degrees the bees seem to like that

[@aaronparis4714]

Depends on the race of bee larger clusters I think are better but I have some Russian that will be the size of 2 frames of bees you go back 39 days and there packs out so much brood I don’t no how there able to look after so much brood with so little bees but they do it and I get great honey crop from them and there not any aggressive then any other

[@brettellis1837]

With that white stuff all over it is wonder the mite count should be zero all year round unreal.