#hive configuration

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Top Tips For Preparing To Winter Bees

Top Tips For Preparing To Winter Bees

Top Tips For Preparing To Winter Bees Chris Wray, the Bee Cosy guy with a mission to insulate our bees, is back with his top tips to help keep our bees through the winter. Go Chris, I’m all ears: Getting a colony of bees through winter can be quite a challenge unless you the take the right precautions and prepare properly. Here are my top tips:- Make sure you have a viable colony with a good…

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[talkingwithbees]

Hive Insulation & Bee Cosy

Hive Insulation & Bee Cosy

Hive Insulation & The Bee Cosy September is a crucial time for me in the Apiary. This is my make and break month in terms of getting the bees through the winter and then having honey producing colonies next spring and summer. I had a disastrous winter earlier this year and hence I am doing everything I can to reduce my bee colony losses over the winter. Chris Wray, inventor of the cutely titled…

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[talkingwithbees]

February In The Apiary

February In The Apiary

February In The Apiary Hive Two

Let’s start with the good news.

Hive Two looks healthy.  20 bees flying around at any one time on sunny days and I placed the varroa count board under the hive for 6 days and counted 0 varroa. I suspect that another reason for it’s success is that it is protected from the wind and has an insulated roof. Photos below.

Hive Two – Flying Bees – Feb 2015

Hive Two –…

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[talkingwithbees]

Hive Ventilation & Configuration

Hive Ventilation & Configuration

Hive Ventilation & Configuration

At the start of Autumn, the disagreements start about how warm to make the house.  We compromise at 19.5C which means I’m wandering around in shorts whilst Heidi wears 3 layers of clothes. She sometimes pulls up her hoody but I think that’s just her trying to make a point.  When the mother-in-law is down, she’s “freezing” (I think she has been scarred by Scottish…

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