Friday, December 24, 2010

For Michelle

I managed to get a really nasty bug on Monday that has run me over like a truck. Before the inconvenience, I have had the opportunity to take some quick peeks at where the clusters are and check the stores.

I have candy boards on all of my hives and my nucs just to be safe. There is a small gap that I made to keep the boards from turning to complete mush due to condensation on the inside of the hive. Only 2 hives are to the point of using the candy boards. Two hives also have a super and a half left of honey. I can use their candy boards if needed. All of the other hives seem to have enough to make it the rest of the way through winter.

We have had snow stick 2 times already this winter and tomorrow (Christmas day) it is supposed to snow and accumulate again! It is really too bad I feel so terrible.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you Jared for the info!! I'm sorry you aren't feeling well. I hope that your health improves quickly. Definitely no fun being sick.

    Thanks for sharing your experience with the candy boards. I will have to work on those. I have a moisture board in place so I'm not exactly sure now where a candy board would fit but I'd better get it done soon.

    I need to get out there and check on them. The hive is half covered in snow and more keeps coming down.

    It will be a miracle if our little girls survive as this seems to be the earliest winter I can ever remember having here in MN and pretty darn cold for Dec.

    Stay warm! Happy holidays!

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  2. the candy board would take the place of the moisture board... as the condensation collects it softens the hard sugar some and the bees can eat it if they have moved all the way up. I had to place about a dime sized piece of wood under two corners because it was disolving the sugar so fast it was dripping out the enterance.

    You can also place a pollen patty in the middle for them to have a pollen boost mid jan when egg laying begins again... It will definatly save one or two of my hives.

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  3. Thanks Jared!! Right now we are at 2 degrees F. I still haven't removed the snow around the hive, I'm hoping it insulates them a bit in these frigid temps. I have a ton of pollen patties on hand so I will slip one of those in there. I need to whip up one of those candy boards.

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weather at the hive