itma
Queen Bee
The October edition of Beecraft carries the suggestion of putting hives onto "Winter Settings - This term is not in any of the books".
{Beginners Corner - bottom of page 27, photo at the top}
The suggestion is a bad one that I would caution against. (Maybe that's why you won't find it in any of the books …)
Worse than just leaving crownboard holes open all winter, the author is additionally encouraging the deliberate leaving of an eke under the crownboard - from now for the whole winter.
While the Ivy flow lasts, there's a good chance they'll build comb in there. (Hard work, wasted.)
Over winter, the excess volume above the frames will ensure that the bees are cold, and having to consume stores at a needlessly high rate.
Allowing such nonsense into guidance for beginners - along with the unhelpful suggestion that it simplifies lifting the coverboard to check the bees during the winter - looks like a sad failure of editorial discipline.
A clear (no-hole) coverboard, with beespace beneath, will allow you to check the bees without removing it and opening the hive, while its seal (and insulation above) will keep the bees much more comfortable (and so not having to work so hard to survive.)
{Beginners Corner - bottom of page 27, photo at the top}
The suggestion is a bad one that I would caution against. (Maybe that's why you won't find it in any of the books …)
Worse than just leaving crownboard holes open all winter, the author is additionally encouraging the deliberate leaving of an eke under the crownboard - from now for the whole winter.
While the Ivy flow lasts, there's a good chance they'll build comb in there. (Hard work, wasted.)
Over winter, the excess volume above the frames will ensure that the bees are cold, and having to consume stores at a needlessly high rate.
Allowing such nonsense into guidance for beginners - along with the unhelpful suggestion that it simplifies lifting the coverboard to check the bees during the winter - looks like a sad failure of editorial discipline.
A clear (no-hole) coverboard, with beespace beneath, will allow you to check the bees without removing it and opening the hive, while its seal (and insulation above) will keep the bees much more comfortable (and so not having to work so hard to survive.)
