It’s been a beautiful weekend in Oregon after last week’s record-breaking storm, and we took advantage of the weather to do a thorough pre-winter inspection of our hives.\u00a0 With one possible exception, they look very good, and all have enough stores for winter.<\/p>\n
Hive #1.\u00a0 Our original nuc from Ruhl Bee last year, still with their original queen.\u00a0 Brood nest consolidated in the center of the lower box, with 70-80 lbs of honey up top and almost no empty comb.\u00a0 Queen still laying, though we didn’t find her.<\/p>\n
Hive #5.\u00a0 I’ve been noticing less entrance activity and no pollen coming in over the last few weeks, so I was a bit worried.\u00a0 We found small patches of capped brood, indicating the queen was last laying about three weeks ago.\u00a0 We did, however, find a healthy-looking queen.\u00a0 It’s possible that they superseded, in which case the new queen should start laying soon, or it’s possible the existing queen is simply taking an extended break from laying, which is not unheard of this time of year.\u00a0 They overwintered in the smallest cluster last year and still built up fast in spring, so perhaps they will do it again.\u00a0 I would place the odds of successful overwintering at 50% for this hive, and at 85% for all of the others.\u00a0 Plenty of stores for winter.<\/p>\n
Hive #6.\u00a0 Our strongest summer hive, having overwintered in a single deep from a midsummer swarm, has consolidated their brood nest into the lower deep with brood raising slowing down for winter.\u00a0 About 100 lbs of stores, mostly their own as we fed them very little.\u00a0 Smart bees…<\/p>\n
Hive #7.\u00a0 Started as a three-frame nuc with an Old Sol queen in early June, this is our only hive going into winter with a first-year queen.\u00a0 They are also the strongest at present, and they have a significant mite load though with no outward symptoms.\u00a0 As they were below treatment threshold in August, they didn’t get our thymol treatment, but they will be getting oxalic acid in early December.\u00a0 Plenty of stores, but still some solid frames of brood in the lower chamber.<\/p>\n
Hive #8.\u00a0 The tree bees had no stores to speak of in late August, as I trapped them out of their honey-filled tree in late June.\u00a0 After over a month of feeding, they have about 60 lbs, which is probably enough but as they have four empty frames in the top box yet we will keep feeding for the next few weeks.\u00a0 We found the queen, and they have somewhat less brood and bees than the other three strong hives so they should be frugal through the winter.<\/p>\n
All except #8 (which we are still feeding) got their screened covers filled with cedar chips to absorb winter moisture.\u00a0 With the exception of oxalic acid for mites, there is not much a beekeeper can do between now and March except watch and hope.\u00a0 I am hopeful…<\/p>\n
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It’s been a beautiful weekend in Oregon after last week’s record-breaking storm, and we took advantage of the weather to do a thorough pre-winter inspection of our hives.\u00a0 With one possible exception, they look very good, and all have enough … Continue reading