Hello Beepeeple!

[Latestarter]

Temps below freezing at night. 50s-60s during the day. Huge T-storm followed by light snow last night. Missed my last chance to pull the feeder and the empty deep containing it. Supposed to be up near 60 and sunny again this weekend, so that's when the feeder comes out, deep comes off, outer cover goes on and the hive goes into lock down for the winter. My luck, shortly thereafter we'll get a string of 70+ degree days...

I thought I read that pollen patties were to boost the queen's laying in the early spring to get a head start on brood before the first pollen producers appeared? Isn't the early spring pollen what triggers the queen to start laying again? I thought winter feed was pure cane sugar?

 

[mikiz]

Odd question, but what are the best temps to have for keeping bees?
I'm wondering if the temps where my property is will be too low for most of the year.

 

[Maggiesdad]

What are you all up to?

Heh heh up to 81° tomorrow! We've got dandelions, deadnettle, speedwell and still some asters blooming. hope they don't burn there stores brooding this time of year. I'm w/ Late I wouldn't give them the patties now. Beekeeping is so durned local though... even just 50 miles away it's a whole different story.

I'll be into mine by Valentine's Day - that's three brood cycles out + two weeks, to get them ramped up for the May 1st Tulip Poplar flow. I can't wait!
Here's a pic of a girl in the deadnettles...

 

[Maggiesdad]

Mikiz folks run bees in Alaska and way up into Canada too.
I can't remember - where are you located?

 

[Latestarter]

The bees will forage anytime the temps are above say 60 with no wind and sun shine. They will come out down to about 40, but won't stay out long, and normally only long enough to go to the bathroom then return to the warmth of the hive. Inside the hive they typically vibrate in a cluster or ball to keep the temp right around 95 degrees. They rotate their position from outside the cluster to inside so they can share the warmth. During real cold winter months, many wrap their hives with felt paper and some even use insulated fiber board or foam. You obviously need to leave their entrance open and room for air flow and humidity to escape up top. The way they store their food, they start at the bottom of the hive early in winter and work their way up through the hive consuming as they go.

As I understand it, the 3 major issues people run into over winter is
1. the bees starving in the spring because they run out of food stores before there are any flowers to provide pollen and nectar. Or the hive becomes so weak they can't move between frames in the extreme cold to get to their food supplies. This typically happens in weak hives (mites/diseases). So folks start feeding them in early spring to hold them over. Feeding the pollen patties makes them believe the first flowers have started producing, so they start producing brood to collect it.
2. Not allowing enough ventilation and water condensing inside the hive and dripping down on the bees, chilling them and killing them as well as producing mold. I'm sure you've experienced how much harder it is to stay warm when you're wet.
3. Not treating for mites in the fall, resulting in a heavy mite load feeding on the remaining bees over winter and killing the hive off before they have a chance to re-generate the colony in the spring.

Rather than temps, what I'd look at is what are the bees going to use for a food source. Are there farms around? or neighborhoods with lots of ornamental plantings? or maybe orchards? Where will the bees feed? How about a water source for them? Concentrate in an area about 1-2 miles radius from where the hive will be. The bees will typically travel out to a max distance of about 3 miles, but really, closer is better. If there ARE farms, are they organic, or will they be spraying pesticides? That's another huge issue with subdivisions where everyone strives for the "perfect lawn".

A real good source for all kinds of down to earth info is: http://www.bushfarms./bees.htm
spend some time there and learn.

 

[mikiz]

Thanks for all the info @Latestarter !
The property is in Boyup Brook in Western Australia, loads of eucalypts and paperbarks around, good, clean water on the property and lots of farms nearby, but not sure what kind.
I'll be planting an orchard of fruit trees and lots of bee-friendly bushes, it was just the temps I was worried about. It gets down to below 40 in winter and looks like an average summer isn't much over 95
Right now the daytime temp is sitting about 80-86

So if I'm thinking right, so long as they have enough food and minimal parasites, for the most part they'll be ok?

 

[Maggiesdad]

I think that Austr is honey bee paradise w/ no varroa?

Sooo jealous....

 

[Happy Chooks]

Thanks for all the info @Latestarter !
The property is in Boyup Brook in Western Australia, loads of eucalypts and paperbarks around, good, clean water on the property and lots of farms nearby, but not sure what kind.
I'll be planting an orchard of fruit trees and lots of bee-friendly bushes, it was just the temps I was worried about. It gets down to below 40 in winter and looks like an average summer isn't much over 95
Right now the daytime temp is sitting about 80-86

So if I'm thinking right, so long as they have enough food and minimal parasites, for the most part they'll be ok?

Eucalyptus only blooms every other year, I believe. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't get bees. You are in a mild climate.

I have family in Australia, none of them have bees, but they do organic gardening.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I thought I read that pollen patties were to boost the queen's laying in the early spring to get a head start on brood before the first pollen producers appeared? Isn't the early spring pollen what triggers the queen to start laying again? I thought winter feed was pure cane sugar?

They make patties specific for winter. There is another patty for January-ish (where I am) for building up brood.

The winter patties are mostly sugar based with honey b healthy in it, but I tell ya, the bees go crazy for them. My main hive is already on their 2nd patty. They are easier for the cluster to get to if needed because they are on top of the bars. I've used them for 3 years now, and have had great luck with them. I know they can be an issue if you have SHB, but I've not seen any here. Some people do use pure sugar, I've never tried it.

 

[Latestarter]

Ahhhh OK, that makes sense... I tend to be a little literal so pollen patty means pollen... Like folks down south ordering a coke and when asked "what flavor?) they say sprite... they are ALL cokes down there

@mikiz it sounds like a fine place to have some bees to me! I'd say go for it if you're game! There's lots of vids on youtube from folks down under who have bees that collect ridiculous amounts of honey. wait till you taste your own... there's no going back after that! Maybe you'll need to consider shade for the hot months...