Introduction:

BEEKEEPING IN THE NORTHEAST - An account of my beekeeping, not a treatise of expertise, but for friends & family who wish to keep bees vicariously through me, and for the occasional apiarist passer-by.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

15 F and climbing - Are They Still There?

It has been rediculously cold and windy.....remarkable stark and cold; and then there is the cold...and dry, dry, suck-all-the-moisture-out-of-you dry cold.

I heard that my friend, who has kept bees in the past, went by my hives to take a listen with her stethoscope...she's a nurse. I finally decided with the warm up predicted for tomarrow I better take the opportunity to do a better clean up job of the bottom boards on Ferncroft Road.

I removed the mouseguards and this time got the intrance reducer wedged out of the stream side hive. I also had a proper tool, a thin long stick, to reach in, all the way back, and pull out the bees in their final resting place on the screened bottom board. This was advised in something I read a long time ago, maybe Bonney's book "Hive Maintenance" in an effort to help with circulation and clear the way for bees hoping to take a cleansing flight, weather permitting.

to my joy, both hives were all a buzz. The HIVES ARE ALIVE!!!!!!!!

3 comments:

Christopher said...

Yeah! I'm continously amazed at what weather the bees can withstand.

athenasbees said...

Hi Chris, as always thanks for stopping by. What's it 69F there?

Christopher said...

It was for about 3 days, and then back into the 30Fs.

It got everyone excited about spring, and then the snap back to freezing weather was a harsh reminder spring is still a bit a ways away.

:)