I use Apimaye hives and even if I don’t use the Feeders to feed bees I use the feeders as inner covers. This keeps the warmth from around the cluster from escaping through the outer lid. “Taking the gamble” of removing the feeders may have created a cool breeze from the landing board up through the cover vents, encouraging the abscond. My bees propolize all the little holes in the edge of the feeders, making them mostly solid inner covers.
Hi Jason . I'm a new follower of your channel from Lebanon 🇱🇧, a small country in the Middle East. I'm a beekeeper and used to raise bees in Langstroth wood hives. I always had excess humidity problems inside the hives until I started using apimaye plastic bottoms. The strategy that I learned from european experts is: take off the plastic tray and let the bottom opened. On the top of frames use inner cover made by 1.5 inches of high density Styrofoam that insulate the bees from outer cover. So the hot air that goes up will hit the insulation without making condensation and because the top is well closed, the air , by pressure, will goes down and gets out from the opened bottom. It's my fifth winter that I use this strategy and thank God I have very good results.
Canada, I am definitely in a much colder area than you are. As for your 13 year experience, I am not trying to to knock you, but really you only have a few months experience with those apimaye products. I am just trying to help you, overwinter your bee's to the point you have bees in spring. You can try the method I mentioned on one colony (I would choose the upgrade kit since they are less likely to to survive than the 7 Frame Apimaye because they are more protected insulation wise, put your shim and what ever else you originally had plan on doing like tilting the hive forward with your 2x8 and what ever you can think of. All I will ask you to do for the upgrade kit is to put a hive alive fondant on top of the frames (switch if they finish it when doing your inspection on the warmer days) put the feeders back on over the hive alive fondant, wrap around feeders and if you can cut a separate piece of burlap so that it is able to cover both feeders just thick enough to so that you can get the cover on and latched down and that is all I would ask you to do for the upgrade kit setup you have their. O and remove that wood that is tilting the hive forward, leave it level, you are not dealing with your regular langstroth with the solid bottom board! Don't how windy it gets there,but if it does I would suggest you wrap the hive with that material you European Americans, use as a sticky board, I think it is a corrugated plastic but the black one. If you never had to wrap a hive or your nucs before over your 13 year experience and came out successful in spring, there would be no need for wrapping your hives.) and try your method, on another colony and let see what comes out in spring.
Good video I have been using Apimay for several years. My setup for winter is: no feeders save for Spring. Hivealive patty, toped with a sheet of reflective insulation ( Cover all frames ) 1 bat of R19 insulation over the reflective insulation to cover all frames etc. everything fits well under the cover. This would keep the top of the hive warmer then the sides and the sides cooler for any condensation purposes. no water dripping on the bees. pre winter all mite treatments completed.100 % survival 2 years with this method.
I have 12 Apimaye 10 frame hives and always leave my feeders on throughout the entire Winter. I’ve never had a problem with dead bees in the feeders and last Winter it was zero degrees at my hives. As a matter of fact I can feed syrup in the Winter if I want because the heat from the hive keeps the syrup warmed up enough that it flows easily. I have never lost a colony of bees to the cold since using Apimaye hives. The reason the Apimaye hives have thick walls is because the box walls are filled with life sustaining insulation. One time a bear got into my Apimaye hives and knocked them off their stands but because the hives are locked together, couldn’t get into the hives and moved on. I simply put all the hives back up and without any interruptions in brood development. If I had wooden hives during the bear attack, all would have been lost. When I picked my hives up off the ground I decided then that I would only use Apimaye hives from now on. Apimaye had just saved all my bee colonies and all the time and labor I had put into my hives. I have never had one colony abscond from my Apimaye hives. I would strongly recommend putting your feeders back on your hive to retain more heat. Also, with all due respect, I’d suggest smoking your bees down in to the frames before laying a package of fondant on top of them.
Iv'e taped off the front vent on the hive cover and left the back one open. I also left the feeders on and just smashed the Hive Alive fondant down. There is a small gap between the hive body and the feeder but the bees are alive and doing well as of yesterday 2/19/22. My broodminder says it's 86 degrees in one and 68 in the other hive.
Hi Jason, I leave my feeders on my 4 apimaye hives. I live in northern Virginia and we get cold spells. I have not in the past 3 years had a problem with dead bees in the feeders. I'm sure a lot depends on where you live. Good video. Always enjoy and look forward to them.
Hello Marcia, I am curious.... Do you offer fed in the feeders and if so what? I don't think the feeders would be a problem if your not using them but would like to confirm your setup. Thanks!
@@JCsBees I feed sugar boards with honey b healthy in one feeder and winter pollen patty in the other. Nice thing is I can check without going into the hive.
I'd guess that it is not getting cold enough in your area for you to have issues. Otherwise I think you would see some dead bees in the feeders. That's great news for you, they make me very nervous going into winter.
I dont think it had much to do with apimaye hives but some colonies abscond I think maybe they were weak somehow and robbing began. With a lot of robbing they abscond readily.
I have a poly hive (Paradise Bee Box) and the manufacturer says NO top ventilation and it has an open mesh screen underneath. That is suppose to provide ventilation and extra moisture goes out the bottom. This is my first year with these hives so I'm just crossing my fingers that this is the right thing to do.
How long have you used Hive Alive Fondant ? I ordered a case of it last Thursday. Most of the local bee suppliers in my area of Virginia don’t carry it , yet I don’t know why ! The Fondant is being shipped from Washington state . That’s a bummer. I call five bee suppliers that are well know in Virginia, North & South Carolina and asked them why they don’t carry the fondant . They could not answer my question. So in essence I wonder if you used it last year and how well did it do to keep your bees alive coming into springtime?
Great video JC as usual. i will back you up on the hive alive . haven't lost any bees in winter after feeding with the liquid or winter fondant . Good Stuff.
No. The reason is the only heat bees have is when they are clustered in a large group. When they leave the cluster the air is cold and that can slow the bees metabolism and that is the concern I had. I didn't want the bees to have to travel to the food as single bees, I've rather the whole cluster have access. Hope that makes since.
So one hive goes through how many fondant patties through the winter? I am definitely trying this, this winter. So I had two strong hives absconded in the past month. Both of them were from the wooden hives and I have absolutely no idea why they would leave. I also had a swarm that stayed in a hive for a week then left. So I lost few bees myself. I wish I knew why, because that’s what drives me nuts the most, not knowing why they left.
The information I have read say that 70% of loss of bees is due to pressure from varroa. Had you done mite washes to check the mite load in the fall/late summer?
Awesome video, thanks for it.Touchwood I think the bees like wooden hives more than plastic, by way of insulation it is easier to construct hives with more thicker wood to retain heat but bee numbers also have to be there. But somehow you have the moth in there and a big black beetle, there was no food or hive was robbed, maybe there was no food store for colony to survive. So maybe that's why the bees absconded.
I have a friend that is concerned about his one hive . He says he has right at three frames of bees left in his hive . He’s worried that may not be enough bees to make it through the winter. I see your colony has about the same amount of bees . Will three frames of bees to make it through the winter in your area ? If they will then I know they should here in Virginia.
So my first year a hive absconded. It produced 2 supers of honey before it left. So strange. These apimaye hives look so cool. Im ready for spring! Lol
Sorry to hear you lost a colony too. Absconding is a very strange thing, one day they are there the next gone! I love the Apimaye hives. I'm not ready for spring yet, too many other things to do before bee season starts. lol If you get bored I can find something for you to do. lol
They use those boxes in Australia no issues. Maybe they just wanted to be free wild bees. Now you can put new ones in. Wild animals will be Wild animals. Look at it as a experiment with your area and those hives.
Thanks for the info Jason! I have seen several videos about these hives that talk about concerns about overwintering. Most are concerned about the vents that are built into the outer lid letting in cold air. I have four Apimaye hives, and in every case the bees have completely sealed all of the vents on the inner cover/feeders. They have stopped any airflow there. Are you concerned at all that leaving the inner cover/feeder off will allow too much cold air into the Apimaye hives? I think I am going to leave the feeders on, but find a way to apply the Hive Alive fondant over the feeder access channels in a way that allows the bees to get to them without having to actually move into the open feeder space. Thoughts?
I consider doing that but it would be a lot of extra work and keeping them put may be hard since my nuc yard is only 150yards away. I think they would try to return back.
old Japan beekeepers say never to use smoke to attend the hives they use blowers because smoke can or may make the bees to go may be this is the reason?
Awesome video Jason! Very informative! You sold me on Hive Alive. Just ordered some to give my bees a better chance this winter. Thank you for the advice and discount code! May God bless you, your family, and your bees!
Thanks! Still need to put some thought into the vents on my top covers. The Hive Alive fondant is an amazing product for both the beekeeper needing to supplement and the health of the bees. I hope it does your bees just as well as it has mine.
The shim and inner cover is a good idea. Wood is a better material up there as it will absorb at least some moisture. I'm going to use my lyson outer cover on top of the ergo with its vents plugged, since I have extras laying around. I may drill a half inch hole in it for an upper exit or may not. Or permanently block the vents in the apimaye outer cover with spray foam sandwiched in reflectix and leave a small hole for vent. Not sure.
Worst idea adding that wooden inner cover and shim to the wooden hive you are setting your self up for another loss in that wooden hive upgrade if temperature does go down, just leave it as designed and if you really want to help place feeders back on and the burlap above and around feeders.
@@JCsBeesCanada, I am definitely in a much colder area than you are. As for your 13 year experience, I am not trying to to knock you, but really you only have a few months experience with those apimaye products. I am just trying to help you, overwinter your bee's to the point you have bees in spring. You can try the method I mentioned on one colony (I would choose the upgrade kit since they are less likely to to survive than the 7 Frame Apimaye because they are more protected insulation wise, put your shim and what ever else you originally had plan on doing like tilting the hive forward with your 2x8 and what ever you can think of. All I will ask you to do for the upgrade kit is to put a hive alive fondant on top of the frames (switch if they finish it when doing your inspection on the warmer days) put the feeders back on over the hive alive fondant, wrap around feeders and if you can cut a separate piece of burlap so that it is able to cover both feeders just thick enough to so that you can get the cover on and latched down and that is all I would ask you to do for the upgrade kit setup you have their. O and remove that wood that is tilting the hive forward, leave it level, you are not dealing with your regular langstroth with the solid bottom board! Don't how windy it gets there,but if it does I would suggest you wrap the hive with that material you European Americans, use as a sticky board, I think it is a corrugated plastic but the black one. If you never had to wrap a hive or your nucs before over your 13 year experience and came out successful in spring, there would be no need for wrapping your hives.) and try your method, on another colony and let see what comes out in spring.
Awesome music brother 👍 it's the same jam that Johnny uses for my segment intro on Hillbilly Hives Live. I really like the upgrade kit for the hive. I have to make sure I use a upper entrance too or face wet dead Bees. Sorry you lost one. But that is real beekeeping brother 👍 thanks for sharing that. Happy wintering my friend and God bless
Your right! I didn't add it up till now but it is the same music. lol I am super happy with the upgrade kit. Next year I want to put the pollen trap to use. Yep, wet bees are surely dead bees and the upper entrance is a huge preventor of that. Take care!
That 2x8 under the back of the hive is of no use because the whole floor is slotted on the inside of the hive so even if water did get in the door it will just run out and into the tray if it is place and onto the ground because even the trays have tiny holes and slots running around the perimeter of the tray. And if the tray is not installed all water will just run out onto the ground, it is literally impossible for water stay in an apimaye hive colony because of its floor design not being solid design like the common bottom board. You really need to take a look at the inside floor with all the frames removed. (edit, you did get a chance to see the bottom board with abscounded colony in the Ergo kit, showed the slotted flooring and you still think you would have a problem with rain entering the entrance, I would like to know what problems could you possibly have in mind in relation to that.)In relation to you removing those feeders bad idea, they work well as they are designed no matter the temperature and if you were in an area where it gets down to negative 10°'s and lower and stays for days on end it would be be better to get some burlap and Install over and around those feeders in their designated places just to cut down on the wind blowing into the vents and wicking the moisture into said burlap while still having very much needed ventilation the burlap is a wind buffer and moisture remover that's all, and bear in mind that is only in the case extreme lengths cold as I explained earlier.
Good info Jason. I am still undecided, leaning towards this plan though of removing the feeders. Maybe I'll run an experiment and remove them from 1 and leave them on another and compare. Maybe with the feeder off, i'll put that silver bubble wrap (I forget the name) that Ian uses so there is somewhat of a heat barrier. Can cut a hole in it for the fondant. Hive Alive fondant, definitely using it on my colonies. I saw my buddies Ladybug and Moose.
Brian, It's surely not an easy decision to make, feeders on or off. Personal experience tells me using the feeders in Ohio could be bad especially come January but maybe I am just dead wrong, who knows? lol I was considering leaving the feeders in one colony but now that one colony absconded I don't have that option anymore. I even considered transferring a nuc to my Ergo but this late in the season I think they would be doomed. As I mentioned in our text I plan to use a piece of the blue foam insulation as an inner cover on the 7 framer, may even do the same for the wood hive upgrade kit. Yes, everyone has been complaining that I am taking over Ladybugs channel so I figured I better include her and Moose. lol
i use those feeder shims, and put the Apimaye feeders on top of those, then the lid
Interesting approach. Thanks for sharing!
I use Apimaye hives and even if I don’t use the Feeders to feed bees I use the feeders as inner covers. This keeps the warmth from around the cluster from escaping through the outer lid. “Taking the gamble” of removing the feeders may have created a cool breeze from the landing board up through the cover vents, encouraging the abscond. My bees propolize all the little holes in the edge of the feeders, making them mostly solid inner covers.
Same thing with my Apimaye. Left the feeders on and it was one of my strongest making it through winter last year.
Hi Jason . I'm a new follower of your channel from Lebanon 🇱🇧, a small country in the Middle East. I'm a beekeeper and used to raise bees in Langstroth wood hives. I always had excess humidity problems inside the hives until I started using apimaye plastic bottoms.
The strategy that I learned from european experts is: take off the plastic tray and let the bottom opened. On the top of frames use inner cover made by 1.5 inches of high density Styrofoam that insulate the bees from outer cover.
So the hot air that goes up will hit the insulation without making condensation and because the top is well closed,
the air , by pressure, will goes down and gets out from the opened bottom.
It's my fifth winter that I use this strategy and thank God I have very good results.
Canada, I am definitely in a much colder area than you are. As for your 13 year experience, I am not trying to to knock you, but really you only have a few months experience with those apimaye products. I am just trying to help you, overwinter your bee's to the point you have bees in spring. You can try the method I mentioned on one colony (I would choose the upgrade kit since they are less likely to to survive than the 7 Frame Apimaye because they are more protected insulation wise, put your shim and what ever else you originally had plan on doing like tilting the hive forward with your 2x8 and what ever you can think of. All I will ask you to do for the upgrade kit is to put a hive alive fondant on top of the frames (switch if they finish it when doing your inspection on the warmer days) put the feeders back on over the hive alive fondant, wrap around feeders and if you can cut a separate piece of burlap so that it is able to cover both feeders just thick enough to so that you can get the cover on and latched down and that is all I would ask you to do for the upgrade kit setup you have their. O and remove that wood that is tilting the hive forward, leave it level, you are not dealing with your regular langstroth with the solid bottom board! Don't how windy it gets there,but if it does I would suggest you wrap the hive with that material you European Americans, use as a sticky board, I think it is a corrugated plastic but the black one. If you never had to wrap a hive or your nucs before over your 13 year experience and came out successful in spring, there would be no need for wrapping your hives.) and try your method, on another colony and let see what comes out in spring.
Good video I have been using Apimay for several years. My setup for winter is: no feeders save for Spring.
Hivealive patty, toped with a sheet of reflective insulation ( Cover all frames ) 1 bat of R19 insulation over the reflective insulation to cover all frames etc. everything fits well under the cover. This would keep the top of the hive warmer then the sides and the sides cooler for any condensation purposes. no water dripping on the bees. pre winter all mite treatments completed.100 % survival 2 years with this method.
Up in central mass I leave the feeders on with dry sugar and may have a half a dozen dead bees up top in the spring.
Glad it's working for you, too much of a gamble for me.
I have 12 Apimaye 10 frame hives and always leave my feeders on throughout the entire Winter. I’ve never had a problem with dead bees in the feeders and last Winter it was zero degrees at my hives. As a matter of fact I can feed syrup in the Winter if I want because the heat from the hive keeps the syrup warmed up enough that it flows easily. I have never lost a colony of bees to the cold since using Apimaye hives. The reason the Apimaye hives have thick walls is because the box walls are filled with life sustaining insulation.
One time a bear got into my Apimaye hives and knocked them off their stands but because the hives are locked together, couldn’t get into the hives and moved on. I simply put all the hives back up and without any interruptions in brood development. If I had wooden hives during the bear attack, all would have been lost.
When I picked my hives up off the ground I decided then that I would only use Apimaye hives from now on. Apimaye had just saved all my bee colonies and all the time and labor I had put into my hives. I have never had one colony abscond from my Apimaye hives.
I would strongly recommend putting your feeders back on your hive to retain more heat. Also, with all due respect, I’d suggest smoking your bees down in to the frames before laying a package of fondant on top of them.
Sweet, thanks super video.
The clips are a great idea, look easier to keep boxes together,
Iv'e taped off the front vent on the hive cover and left the back one open. I also left the feeders on and just smashed the Hive Alive fondant down. There is a small gap between the hive body and the feeder but the bees are alive and doing well as of yesterday 2/19/22. My broodminder says it's 86 degrees in one and 68 in the other hive.
Hi Jason, I leave my feeders on my 4 apimaye hives. I live in northern Virginia and we get cold spells. I have not in the past 3 years had a problem with dead bees in the feeders. I'm sure a lot depends on where you live. Good video. Always enjoy and look forward to them.
Hello Marcia, I am curious.... Do you offer fed in the feeders and if so what? I don't think the feeders would be a problem if your not using them but would like to confirm your setup. Thanks!
@@JCsBees I feed sugar boards with honey b healthy in one feeder and winter pollen patty in the other. Nice thing is I can check without going into the hive.
I'd guess that it is not getting cold enough in your area for you to have issues. Otherwise I think you would see some dead bees in the feeders. That's great news for you, they make me very nervous going into winter.
I dont think it had much to do with apimaye hives but some colonies abscond I think maybe they were weak somehow and robbing began. With a lot of robbing they abscond readily.
I have a poly hive (Paradise Bee Box) and the manufacturer says NO top ventilation and it has an open mesh screen underneath. That is suppose to provide ventilation and extra moisture goes out the bottom. This is my first year with these hives so I'm just crossing my fingers that this is the right thing to do.
How long have you used Hive Alive Fondant ? I ordered a case of it last Thursday. Most of the local bee suppliers in my area of Virginia don’t carry it , yet I don’t know why ! The Fondant is being shipped from Washington state . That’s a bummer. I call five bee suppliers that are well know in Virginia, North & South Carolina and asked them why they don’t carry the fondant . They could not answer my question. So in essence I wonder if you used it last year and how well did it do to keep your bees alive coming into springtime?
Great informative video 👍
Maybe Ladybug was investigating the mystery of absconding bees 🤔
I think you nailed it! That's what she was doing. She never did find them though. lol
Glad you enjoyed the video!!
Hello. Do you leave thé bottom draw or bottom ventilated for the winter.
Thx
Great video JC as usual. i will back you up on the hive alive . haven't lost any bees in winter after feeding with the liquid or winter fondant . Good Stuff.
Wouldn't the insulated lid keep them from getting cold in the feeder?
No. The reason is the only heat bees have is when they are clustered in a large group. When they leave the cluster the air is cold and that can slow the bees metabolism and that is the concern I had. I didn't want the bees to have to travel to the food as single bees, I've rather the whole cluster have access. Hope that makes since.
Your videos have definitely made me a better beekeeper, I look forward to them every Sunday Thanks!
Great to hear! Glad they help!
So one hive goes through how many fondant patties through the winter? I am definitely trying this, this winter. So I had two strong hives absconded in the past month. Both of them were from the wooden hives and I have absolutely no idea why they would leave. I also had a swarm that stayed in a hive for a week then left. So I lost few bees myself. I wish I knew why, because that’s what drives me nuts the most, not knowing why they left.
how much of the fondant do you go through during the winter months?
It seems like I use 3 fondant patties per 10 frame colony and 2 patties for my 5 over 5 colonies. Hope that helps!
The information I have read say that 70% of loss of bees is due to pressure from varroa. Had you done mite washes to check the mite load in the fall/late summer?
To be honest, I skipped mite washes on the colony that flew off. I have treated them though.
When they abscond, they take all the stores they can with them. It wasn't necessarily robbed.
That make since! I should have known that. lol
Thanks for mentioning the temperature and when to put sugar/candy boards on.
I figured that may be useful!
Awesome video, thanks for it.Touchwood I think the bees like wooden hives more than plastic, by way of insulation it is easier to construct hives with more thicker wood to retain heat but bee numbers also have to be there. But somehow you have the moth in there and a big black beetle, there was no food or hive was robbed, maybe there was no food store for colony to survive. So maybe that's why the bees absconded.
I have a friend that is concerned about his one hive . He says he has right at three frames of bees left in his hive . He’s worried that may not be enough bees to make it through the winter. I see your colony has about the same amount of bees . Will three frames of bees to make it through the winter in your area ? If they will then I know they should here in Virginia.
So my first year a hive absconded. It produced 2 supers of honey before it left. So strange. These apimaye hives look so cool. Im ready for spring! Lol
Sorry to hear you lost a colony too. Absconding is a very strange thing, one day they are there the next gone! I love the Apimaye hives. I'm not ready for spring yet, too many other things to do before bee season starts. lol If you get bored I can find something for you to do. lol
Hi Jason I have inherited a drum of mixed lemongrass and jojoba oil. What use would this be for bees if any?
The lemongrass if food grade can be added to syrup when feeding or for swarm removals. Not sure about the jojoba oil though.
They use those boxes in Australia no issues. Maybe they just wanted to be free wild bees. Now you can put new ones in. Wild animals will be Wild animals. Look at it as a experiment with your area and those hives.
Thanks for the info Jason! I have seen several videos about these hives that talk about concerns about overwintering. Most are concerned about the vents that are built into the outer lid letting in cold air. I have four Apimaye hives, and in every case the bees have completely sealed all of the vents on the inner cover/feeders. They have stopped any airflow there. Are you concerned at all that leaving the inner cover/feeder off will allow too much cold air into the Apimaye hives? I think I am going to leave the feeders on, but find a way to apply the Hive Alive fondant over the feeder access channels in a way that allows the bees to get to them without having to actually move into the open feeder space. Thoughts?
That sucks Jason. Put one of your nucs or a smaller colony in there. That way you can still see how bees overwinter in the ergo.
I consider doing that but it would be a lot of extra work and keeping them put may be hard since my nuc yard is only 150yards away. I think they would try to return back.
old Japan beekeepers say never to use smoke to attend the hives they use blowers because smoke can or may make the bees to go may be this is the reason?
Awesome video Jason! Very informative! You sold me on Hive Alive. Just ordered some to give my bees a better chance this winter. Thank you for the advice and discount code! May God bless you, your family, and your bees!
Thanks! Still need to put some thought into the vents on my top covers. The Hive Alive fondant is an amazing product for both the beekeeper needing to supplement and the health of the bees. I hope it does your bees just as well as it has mine.
@@JCsBees 47 degrees is very hot in normal human celcius ( stop using your bullshit drunk man measurements )
Jason, love the new intro! On the hive you put the shim, take zip tie make a loop the right size so the lid latch will work. Love your videos.
Thanks. I just got the Go Pro 11 and I've been playing around with the time lapse feature. Good idea with the zip tie!
I think all the plastic hives are bad idea. They have many flaws and limitations.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I really like them and don't see any flaws, just obstacles I am not used to.
The shim and inner cover is a good idea. Wood is a better material up there as it will absorb at least some moisture. I'm going to use my lyson outer cover on top of the ergo with its vents plugged, since I have extras laying around. I may drill a half inch hole in it for an upper exit or may not. Or permanently block the vents in the apimaye outer cover with spray foam sandwiched in reflectix and leave a small hole for vent. Not sure.
Worst idea adding that wooden inner cover and shim to the wooden hive you are setting your self up for another loss in that wooden hive upgrade if temperature does go down, just leave it as designed and if you really want to help place feeders back on and the burlap above and around feeders.
Where do you live? I have 13 years experience overwintering hive and I see issues leaving feeders on. Just curious if your in a warmer area?
@@JCsBeesCanada, I am definitely in a much colder area than you are. As for your 13 year experience, I am not trying to to knock you, but really you only have a few months experience with those apimaye products. I am just trying to help you, overwinter your bee's to the point you have bees in spring. You can try the method I mentioned on one colony (I would choose the upgrade kit since they are less likely to to survive than the 7 Frame Apimaye because they are more protected insulation wise, put your shim and what ever else you originally had plan on doing like tilting the hive forward with your 2x8 and what ever you can think of. All I will ask you to do for the upgrade kit is to put a hive alive fondant on top of the frames (switch if they finish it when doing your inspection on the warmer days) put the feeders back on over the hive alive fondant, wrap around feeders and if you can cut a separate piece of burlap so that it is able to cover both feeders just thick enough to so that you can get the cover on and latched down and that is all I would ask you to do for the upgrade kit setup you have their. O and remove that wood that is tilting the hive forward, leave it level, you are not dealing with your regular langstroth with the solid bottom board! Don't how windy it gets there,but if it does I would suggest you wrap the hive with that material you European Americans, use as a sticky board, I think it is a corrugated plastic but the black one. If you never had to wrap a hive or your nucs before over your 13 year experience and came out successful in spring, there would be no need for wrapping your hives.) and try your method, on another colony and let see what comes out in spring.
Awesome music brother 👍 it's the same jam that Johnny uses for my segment intro on Hillbilly Hives Live. I really like the upgrade kit for the hive. I have to make sure I use a upper entrance too or face wet dead Bees. Sorry you lost one. But that is real beekeeping brother 👍 thanks for sharing that. Happy wintering my friend and God bless
Your right! I didn't add it up till now but it is the same music. lol I am super happy with the upgrade kit. Next year I want to put the pollen trap to use. Yep, wet bees are surely dead bees and the upper entrance is a huge preventor of that.
Take care!
@@JCsBees thanks brother 👍 I'd like to try some pollen traps next season myself. Good health to you and your family. God bless 👍
Quick question; do you find the bees go to the HL instead of consuming hive stores when putting it in early?
HBM
That 2x8 under the back of the hive is of no use because the whole floor is slotted on the inside of the hive so even if water did get in the door it will just run out and into the tray if it is place and onto the ground because even the trays have tiny holes and slots running around the perimeter of the tray. And if the tray is not installed all water will just run out onto the ground, it is literally impossible for water stay in an apimaye hive colony because of its floor design not being solid design like the common bottom board. You really need to take a look at the inside floor with all the frames removed. (edit, you did get a chance to see the bottom board with abscounded colony in the Ergo kit, showed the slotted flooring and you still think you would have a problem with rain entering the entrance, I would like to know what problems could you possibly have in mind in relation to that.)In relation to you removing those feeders bad idea, they work well as they are designed no matter the temperature and if you were in an area where it gets down to negative 10°'s and lower and stays for days on end it would be be better to get some burlap and Install over and around those feeders in their designated places just to cut down on the wind blowing into the vents and wicking the moisture into said burlap while still having very much needed ventilation the burlap is a wind buffer and moisture remover that's all, and bear in mind that is only in the case extreme lengths cold as I explained earlier.
Good info Jason. I am still undecided, leaning towards this plan though of removing the feeders. Maybe I'll run an experiment and remove them from 1 and leave them on another and compare. Maybe with the feeder off, i'll put that silver bubble wrap (I forget the name) that Ian uses so there is somewhat of a heat barrier. Can cut a hole in it for the fondant. Hive Alive fondant, definitely using it on my colonies. I saw my buddies Ladybug and Moose.
Brian, It's surely not an easy decision to make, feeders on or off. Personal experience tells me using the feeders in Ohio could be bad especially come January but maybe I am just dead wrong, who knows? lol I was considering leaving the feeders in one colony but now that one colony absconded I don't have that option anymore. I even considered transferring a nuc to my Ergo but this late in the season I think they would be doomed.
As I mentioned in our text I plan to use a piece of the blue foam insulation as an inner cover on the 7 framer, may even do the same for the wood hive upgrade kit.
Yes, everyone has been complaining that I am taking over Ladybugs channel so I figured I better include her and Moose. lol