Hi Vince, sorry for your losses. It was a hard cold winter here in northwest NJ. I can only imagine how bad it was in Illinois. I only had 2 big colonies and a 5 frame nuc and am happy to say they are all alive and well, so far. I wrapped my hives with the same foam board and apivar Sept Oct. I do have quilt boxes on top with burlap and yes 1 deep with a medium on top. The 5 frame nuc had just a shim for sugar and a quilt box on top. Good luck with spring!
I wintered 2 hives in a single deep 10 frame boxes. And 2 in a single 5 frame deep hive body’s. They did fine for me. But we didn’t have the cold winter weather here like you did out there. I had 9 hives survive out of 12.
Sorry to hear about the losses. You might think about sending some off to be tested. I did a video last year on one of my dead outs. It was the biggest hive I had 2 years ago, and they died out. It was mites.
Hello again my friend, Sorry to hear about your losses, unfortunately this does happen, I've lost four I think now, when you do open them up, if you find lots or even hundreds/thousands of dead bees inside the hive on the bottom board/ floor, with a few on the clustered on the comb, with plenty of stores, then it will be what we call isolation starvation, this is when the temperatures are too cold for them to produce enough heat to keep moving towards the food, and rotating from the outside of the cluster to the inside of the cluster, so over time the bees on the outside of the cluster drop off because of the cold, and this cycle continues until the ones left on the comb die where they are, if they are right at the top of the Comb with stores around them on other frames, then it is the same, isolation starvation, but when you get in, you will have a much clearer picture of what happened, but the positive thing is that you still have some left, to build up again this season, anyway we'll find out more when you open them up, until then, stay safe and love to your family
thank you your a good friend , its funny you say all that thats what i ben thinking for that reason im thinking of going to maybe do single deeps going into next winter to avoid that this way they can get to the feed easer, i had no isues last year, what do you think ?
@@FernvalleyFarm I have all langstroth hives, and I have always had them on two deep brood with one deep box full of capped honey, and they have always done good, this winter I've lost four out of twenty now, well so far, this is the most I have lost in one winter, I opened one of my hives and found a cluster of about a hundred or so dead bees on the comb, no dead on the on the bottom board/floor, and no queen, so that on went queenless somewhere along the line, the key I think is to have strong winter bees going into winter, I don't think it is your setup, it all looks fine to me, I think probably, that when they are producing the winter bees/ brood in autumn, they may have been weakened by varroa in the process, I really think we underestimate the damage done before winter comes, I think that is the key to success, little or no varroa before autumn, because winter bees have greater fat cells that get them through winter, and varroa feed on that, so if there is varroa in the capped cells containing the future winter bees, they will hatch less able to get through winter, also Varroa have little or no dronecells to go into that time of year, so the winter fat bee brood will be the prime target
Sorry to hear about your lost. Single box not a good idea. You need at least 80 pounds off stores, That's about 9 frames full of honey. No room for Bees. What type of Bees do you have?
Can be couple issues varoa mites still was present at closed brood after you took off in September apivar strip they are not reliable only liquid oxalic acid when gets cold last warm days end of October or november they need to be treated can be issue also with queens they are not resistant enough to survive mite viruses even small load of mites present overwintering bees last year was devastating with mites now those 3 4 hives what survive check them in may drone capped brood how many mites are present good queens in caped drone brood will have none or small amount mites those queens will go trough winter easily plus they need to be be home grown had 100 percent survival only treating twice a year with oxalic acid liquid in October or November depending on weather and oxalic acid veporizer in 10 of July 4 times circle 7 days apart personally wintering bees single deeps on the top is always nylon etc never giving them sugar blocks but organic sugar only patties what I using golden Canadian pollen patties had loss 16 percent this winter issue small clusters they should be combined kill them cald weather in February
Looks like your "BEEHIVES" (Bee Hives)made it through winter just fine! But the question is, how did your honey bee colonies do during the winter? Do you like the "wait and see approach" to beekeeping? Is your video really helping other beekeepers? Why are so many American beekeepers ignorant? Is it because Americans in general are ignorant? Why not "BEE" proactive and save colonies during winter rather than having losses! Your video is the reason why I do not watch beekeeping videos!
So that's your response have the wait and see approach we had two weeks of below zero weather you could not go into your hives and do anything February was a really bad month and all Americans beekeepers are not ignorant
@@terrir8525 wow is that how you talk really it's people like you that give RUclips a bad name when you comment like that that's why they have restrictions for ignorant people like you
@@FernvalleyFarm I was defending you. You're being called a stupid american by "peaceful mind" and he said YOUR videos are why he doesn't watch. It's people like HIM that give RUclips a bad name. He basically says you're an idiot....is that right for him to tell you that you're that terrible? He has anger issues and shouldnt be going off on all beekeepers like he has been. He deserved it. But I apologize to you that putting him in his place happened on your channel. I'll unsubscribe...
Poor thing. It has been a long freezing winter I feel them. Hehe
Waiting to see number 7 video.
Hi Vince, sorry for your losses. It was a hard cold winter here in northwest NJ. I can only imagine how bad it was in Illinois. I only had 2 big colonies and a 5 frame nuc and am happy to say they are all alive and well, so far. I wrapped my hives with the same foam board and apivar Sept Oct. I do have quilt boxes on top with burlap and yes 1 deep with a medium on top. The 5 frame nuc had just a shim for sugar and a quilt box on top. Good luck with spring!
i have a few difrent ideas for next year hope to prevent this again if its so cold
hello done thumbsup yahooooo
I wintered 2 hives in a single deep 10 frame boxes. And 2 in a single 5 frame deep hive body’s. They did fine for me. But we didn’t have the cold winter weather here like you did out there. I had 9 hives survive out of 12.
im thinking of going into next winter with single deeps make it easer to get to there feed, what do you think ?
@@FernvalleyFarm I think that’s a good idea. You just got to make sure they have plenty of honey in that box going into winter.
Sorry to hear about the losses. You might think about sending some off to be tested. I did a video last year on one of my dead outs. It was the biggest hive I had 2 years ago, and they died out. It was mites.
im going to mite wash dead bees it actually works gives you an idea of mites
@@FernvalleyFarm Yes I’ve done that too it’s a good idea
Awe man, only 3 surviving. You had about the same luck as I did. Such a horrible winter.
yea i no sorry for you to , it was bad
Hello again my friend,
Sorry to hear about your losses, unfortunately this does happen, I've lost four I think now, when you do open them up, if you find lots or even hundreds/thousands of dead bees inside the hive on the bottom board/ floor, with a few on the clustered on the comb, with plenty of stores, then it will be what we call isolation starvation, this is when the temperatures are too cold for them to produce enough heat to keep moving towards the food, and rotating from the outside of the cluster to the inside of the cluster, so over time the bees on the outside of the cluster drop off because of the cold, and this cycle continues until the ones left on the comb die where they are, if they are right at the top of the Comb with stores around them on other frames, then it is the same, isolation starvation, but when you get in, you will have a much clearer picture of what happened, but the positive thing is that you still have some left, to build up again this season, anyway we'll find out more when you open them up, until then, stay safe and love to your family
thank you your a good friend , its funny you say all that thats what i ben thinking for that reason im thinking of going to maybe do single deeps going into next winter to avoid that this way they can get to the feed easer, i had no isues last year, what do you think ?
@@FernvalleyFarm I have all langstroth hives, and I have always had them on two deep brood with one deep box full of capped honey, and they have always done good, this winter I've lost four out of twenty now, well so far, this is the most I have lost in one winter, I opened one of my hives and found a cluster of about a hundred or so dead bees on the comb, no dead on the on the bottom board/floor, and no queen, so that on went queenless somewhere along the line, the key I think is to have strong winter bees going into winter, I don't think it is your setup, it all looks fine to me, I think probably, that when they are producing the winter bees/ brood in autumn, they may have been weakened by varroa in the process, I really think we underestimate the damage done before winter comes, I think that is the key to success, little or no varroa before autumn, because winter bees have greater fat cells that get them through winter, and varroa feed on that, so if there is varroa in the capped cells containing the future winter bees, they will hatch less able to get through winter, also Varroa have little or no dronecells to go into that time of year, so the winter fat bee brood will be the prime target
How late in fall did you treat for mites? Timing is everything. That is if mites are the culprit. My guess anyhow
september, ill know more when i get into them
Sorry to hear about your lost. Single box not a good idea. You need at least 80 pounds off stores, That's about 9 frames full of honey. No room for Bees. What type of Bees do you have?
morning i had atleast 80 lbs of honey they were heavy and packed with bees, carninolas
@@FernvalleyFarm Carniolan bees are great winter hardy stock. Good choice.
Can be couple issues varoa mites still was present at closed brood after you took off in September apivar strip they are not reliable only liquid oxalic acid when gets cold last warm days end of October or november they need to be treated can be issue also with queens they are not resistant enough to survive mite viruses even small load of mites present overwintering bees last year was devastating with mites now those 3 4 hives what survive check them in may drone capped brood how many mites are present good queens in caped drone brood will have none or small amount mites those queens will go trough winter easily plus they need to be be home grown had 100 percent survival only treating twice a year with oxalic acid liquid in October or November depending on weather and oxalic acid veporizer in 10 of July 4 times circle 7 days apart personally wintering bees single deeps on the top is always nylon etc never giving them sugar blocks but organic sugar only patties what I using golden Canadian pollen patties had loss 16 percent this winter issue small clusters they should be combined kill them cald weather in February
thanks for the good advice i still need to get into them and see what happened
Looks like your "BEEHIVES" (Bee Hives)made it through winter just fine! But the question is, how did your honey bee colonies do during the winter? Do you like the "wait and see approach" to beekeeping? Is your video really helping other beekeepers? Why are so many American beekeepers ignorant? Is it because Americans in general are ignorant? Why not "BEE" proactive and save colonies during winter rather than having losses! Your video is the reason why I do not watch beekeeping videos!
So that's your response have the wait and see approach we had two weeks of below zero weather you could not go into your hives and do anything February was a really bad month and all Americans beekeepers are not ignorant
Jeez dude...you are such an a** hole. Get the hell out of America then. All you do is bitch. ..get on meds FFS.
@@terrir8525 wow is that how you talk really it's people like you that give RUclips a bad name when you comment like that that's why they have restrictions for ignorant people like you
@@FernvalleyFarm I was defending you. You're being called a stupid american by "peaceful mind" and he said YOUR videos are why he doesn't watch. It's people like HIM that give RUclips a bad name. He basically says you're an idiot....is that right for him to tell you that you're that terrible? He has anger issues and shouldnt be going off on all beekeepers like he has been. He deserved it. But I apologize to you that putting him in his place happened on your channel. I'll unsubscribe...
@@terrir8525 o im sory i read it wrong i apolagize thank you for defending me even thought i read it wrong sorry again