Time to put a close to the 2014 bee year. Join together for food and conversation. For details see the bee club page.
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What a difference a couple of days makes-- twenty plus inches in 24 hours and still coming down,, Sure looks like January!
The bees were put to bed just in time,but... I didn't get to put a wrap on my tb hives. I still might get a chance when this round is over. For those in the Marquette area,stay tuned for word from Michelle on some upcoming events. If you haven't responded to the poll she has on the Superior Beekeeping website, www.superiorbeekeepingclub/-blog , please take a moment. This is a great opportunity for UP beekeepers to "swarm" the Michigan Beekeepers Association"s 150th anniversary. It will be in March in East Lansing--MSU. A bus full of yoopers would be a sight. I made these "sugar bars" for my top bar hives. As with my regular hives, the tb hives are going into the winter short of stores. I don't know if this will work,but will give it a try. There are 14 lbs in the larger one and 8 in the small one. Note how I am using it for ventilation by leaving part of it open for ventilation. See previous post for videos and pics on winterizing.
I didn't make it by the first snow, but will put the bees to bed by the middle of next week. I had hoped to get these two videos and pictures posted much earlier but didn't quite make it----sorry! The still pictures below are of what my hives will look like this winter (the second video also shows this). I keep trying different things in order to enhance survival chances. There are links to my bee video page, then off to you tube which will have two separate videos. The first shows how to make a sugar board and the second shows the placement of the sugar board in the hive as well as the rest of the hive as it will go in to winter. The foam board "sleeve" is new for me. The first is filmed in the outdoor kitchen where we made 5 gallons of cyser (cider& honey) as well as the sugar boards. The second was filmed in my shop which was much warmer,considering the snow&wind, than doing it in the bee yard. I hope this may give you some ideas for overwintering. If we all keep trying and experimenting, we might come up with a "better way". Feel free to contact me with any questions. More pictures from Michelle Landis |
Joel LantzKeeper of bees. Archives
February 2022
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