Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Quick Update - Winter Casualties






A Few Announcements

I removed a couple of links off the blog and I received at least one email asking me why. Well there are only a couple of reasons I would remove a link. Any link I have down in the "No Link Love" section I will keep as long as they interest me. If they don't post often, express points of view I strongly disagree with, never bother to link back to me or link to whiny victim feminist blogs or drunken arid rodent rants I will remove them post haste.

Two such links failed one or more of the above tests without having enough redeeming qualities for me to over look the disappointing ones.

One blog finally went too far even for me. I am a completely equal opportunity kinda fellow. I believe there are cultural and racial differences in the world that are more than just social constructs and I believe in freedom of association for whatever reason someone may want to associate or not. That being said there are limits in just how far I will go in that direction.

Finally I have no love for most American Jews but it has absolutely nothing to do with them being Jewish. I support Israels right to exist and I am constantly bewildered why American Jews don't and why as a group they support the very enemies of my blood (Lefty Feminist) they do. So if someone is an American Jew and they don't support the Socialist Left then they are fine by me.

Just in case anyone else asks me why I removed certain links. They are entitled to their opinion and I might in fact overlook disagreements if the debate is good but when things deteriorate into insults and ravings I will abandon it like yesterdays offal.


Now the update...

Finally the warm temperatures arrived today and everything is thawing out. Water is running in huge streams everywhere but much of the solid ground is still frozen more or less. Since we are taking some lambs to slaughter Thursday I had to get the stock trailer out before the ground started thawing this morning and then wait around for the temps to warm up enough to check my hives.

Out of my 10 remaining hives (If you remember I lost one last month) I now have 9 survivors. Yes I lost another one. It was one I really didn't think was in any danger but as with the hive last month from what I could tell they just got caught in a bad spot when it was too cold to move and starved. There is still honey inside the hive but they just couldn't get to it with the sub-zero temps to feed themselves. It happens.

Still 9 survivors is much better than I feared I was going to have. Apparently the extra (but ugly) insulation helped them stay warm. Each hive still had full tops of sugar although several of them were already hitting it pretty hard. We supposedly have three days of mild temps coming so I may check their feed levels again before it is over. I think the hard part is past us however and if things stay normal we should begin seeing the first Henbit and Dead Nettle blooms soon along with the Maple trees flowering. Once we make it to that point the hives are usually in the clear and once I see the wild plum blooming I know we are good.

Next year I am definitely putting up wind breaks as well as the insulation wrap though.

March can be hard on the bees as well but I am breathing quite a bit easier about their odds for survival now. I have not lost a hive in March ever although some beekeepers proclaim that is when they get their heaviest losses. Now I should be able to estimate how much more wooden ware to build and frames to order.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!


15 comments:

  1. pioneer p:

    hey, you of all people have no time for bs nor should you have to explain yourself - drop worn links and get to it!

    congrats on having losses less than you thought, still i am sorry you lost one, i knwo the bees are important to you!

    if you think your insulation looks like crap, you should see some of the crap i have done!!! from what i can see, you might have enough protection form wind to hoop house those hives next year - it might add an extra layer of insulation...if it is safe for teh bees!

    keep on preppin'!

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    1. Jamby - Not sure what ya mean by a hoop house but if it is what I am thinking it would prolly be destroyed by our winds in record time.

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  2. Whew I made the cut good news!Good to hear most of the bees have made it this far things are looking up.

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  3. Thanks for keeping me. I try to keep an open mind, but I can only take so much. I have dropped added them back and I am going to drop some again. Sorry about the bees, but as you said better then all of them. We found some plastic wrap made by Frost King. It is cheap and thick. You could wrap the hives after you apply the installation. It would cut out any wind.

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  4. Your bees have done better than ones around here, maybe you are breeding cold hardy ones over the years.
    Warmed up and melted some ice and snow this afternoon, now it is mud time and my boots are leaking again, more patching tonight.

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  5. Like any of you guys would ever be in danger of link removal. Well Rob did have that drunken rodent link :)

    I actually removed most of them a few days ago but someone cried foul so I thought I would address it.

    SF - Ouch leaking boots. I need to get a new pair of mud/water boots myself.

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  6. No drunken rants? Sheesh. Things really are getting raw.

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    1. Anon - I LOVE drunken rants, except when they come from rodents :)

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  7. whew....I scrolled down the right to check and see if I was still listed.

    Sorry about the loss of the hive..that sucks. But on the bright side, at least it doesn't seem as bad as you thought.
    Enjoy the warmer temps..supposed to be in the low 80s here.

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    1. JuGM - Heh no way I would remove your link. Besides you link back!!!

      They claim we have a couple of days of 50's and 60's then it will go back down into the 30's once again. 30's don't bother me however nor the snow or ice just those damned sub-zero and single digits. Those are painful especially when they just keep going and going day after day.

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    2. The very name of JUGM's blog should make her immune for eternity from removal.

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  8. That's good to hear Preppy. Any idea if you are in for more cold bouts before Spring comes?

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    1. TB - Supposedly back into the 30's next week which is about 10 degrees below normal but not bad to deal with. I think Winter is almost over but she could fool me.

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  9. It looks like the length of that setup is about 16 feet (2 8' lengths). And then you can get 6 hives on that length. Is that correct? Or are those 10' lengths?

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    1. Anon - Yes those are 8 foot lengths. I probably over do my hive stands as the ones I have seen built use smaller lumber. Price-wise they come out to about an additional 25 bucks per three. I could also push em closer together and get four on there if I wanted to but that increases robbing in Summer.

      The hive entrances need to be at least 12 inches above the ground to be organic certified which is why I use the method I did. It's a bit more costly but overall less trouble and more sturdy in my mind. Those 4"x6" can take a lot of weight.

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