Winter consumption during winter

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"here" is Finland - is it not ?

It doesnt matter because Finman says that beekeeping is the same the whole world over.
 
.Results seemed quite mad compared to 5 months results..
Yes, it`s very strange and controversial results: the less is the average consumption for the 5 months of a particular hive, the more it consumes during Jan-Feb.
Anyway
It must be about 10kg or more per month?
But, err, I expect them to survive the whole winter on 20kg.
Hm...
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I`m glad that the practical weighing indicates, that even taking in account all those factors like “rain, wetting, drying, frosting, melting and what ever” :) , the actual results are much less than 10kg/month ;)

We also should know that the bees do not fly for no return - they are a little more clever than to waste energy.
Yep. My bees even managed to harvest something from moss and sphagnum in my backyard :) ( Spores as an alternative to pollen? )
.Put your own balance and try how it really goes.
I was thinking one day about buying a hanging scales like this(it`s a 300kg version) and assembling a weighing station alike.

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Something like this, but a transportable version, that could be transferred from one hive to another :)

unthinking beekeeper has put much of their winter stores beneath them!
That`s a mistake that I have quickly fixed during last inspection. The theory behind putting BB at the top seemed to be logical: there is warmer -> good for brood rearing. But in reality bees consume the honey that has to be preheated by the cluster, thus the cluster should be beneath the stores as the heat raise up. The yearly natural top brood edge movement is also pendulum alike: it moves upwards during a winter time when eggs laying start to increase, and downwards during that period of a summer when eggs laying get shrinking AFAIK.
So… It seems to me that the “unthinking beekeeper” thought too much in this case :) The stores are at the top now.
Cold winter kills hives more than warm winter.
I would suspect even that it`s not a winter at all that kills hives :) Climate factors only jeopardize ( or improve) the actual issues within a hive IMHO.
 
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It doesnt matter because Finman says that beekeeping is the same the whole world over.

..............it's the poor that get the blame - it's the rich that get the pleasure - Ainti it all a bleedin' shame!
 
Jep! Purpose is to produce honey and sell it. The whole world over.
.

We know your purpose for keeping bees, but as I made no mention of why people keep bees I dont know why you have to remind us of your reasons.



Finman says that beekeeping is the same the whole world over.
Which is rubbish.

My bees, to the best of my knowledge, have been out every day since some time in March.....but according to you, yours only fly for three months of the year. Quite a difference.
 
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It doesnt matter because Finman says that beekeeping is the same the whole world over.

I'm pretty sure Finman believes conditions may be varied in different parts of the world but the principles of husbandry remain the same.
 
I'm pretty sure Finman believes conditions may be varied in different parts of the world but the principles of husbandry remain the same.

What are differencies:

- good queens
- wintering set up
- good build up in spring to achieve early ability to foraging surplus
- move hives to good pastures
- swarming control
- extracting honey
- treating honey soft set and tasty mixing
- prepare for winter
- selling the yield
 
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in this case I was thinking of external moisture i.e. Rain causing the change.
but the internal source is very interesting , I have been trying to find measurements on the permiability of propolis, but cant find any. Have you seen any?

I think, from its chemical composition of large organic chains, its likely to be pretty close to 0 as they repel water extremely well which would make any measurements difficult.
 
What are differencies:

- good queens
- wintering set up
- good build up in spring to achieve early ability to foraging surplus
- move hives to good pastures
- swarming control
- extracting honey
- treating honey soft set and tasty mixing
- prepare for winter
- selling the yield

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ely View Post
I'm pretty sure Finman believes conditions may be varied in different parts of the world but the principles of husbandry remain the same.
 
I'm pretty sure Finman believes conditions may be varied in different parts of the world but the principles of husbandry remain the same.

He KNOWS that conditions vary in different parts of the world.
Husbandry of bees in a climate were he lives has to be different from husbandry in Australia. His bees fly for only 3 months..My bees fly for more than twice that time... How many times would you expect be able to inspect bees in the period they are flying?
Yes the husbandry methods are the same but different climates must mean that those methods have to be variable.
Finman seems to have very successful bees in that from one box in the spring they grow to as many as eight boxes in only a few weeks and produce massive amounts of honey that we can only dream of.
 
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Although Finmans season is relatively short (late April to Mid Sept) but you have to realise the day length is long some 20 hrs in mid summer (the Land of the Midnight Sun) .
 

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