I think I have frostbite

Well, not really just that i still cannot feel my fingers

went to the farm to check the feed and found the auto electric gate was frozen solid and a power cut so no chance of it opening

drove a mile to the east gate and had to walk about a mile across snow drifts to the hives carry fondant tools etc

had then to chip off ice from the ratchet straps that were iced to the rooofs (memo to self: never put the ratchets on the roof again-always at side)..all hives alive but all needed fondant so have to cut up the four blocks of apiinvert

one mile walk back...to car, first i could not undo the zips of the suit ,second i could not feel the car keys in my pocket

It is only minus 2 but the wind chill is something different!!, what it is like to those of you Northerners north of Watford i dread to think....or are you all hardy soles, compared to us soft Southerners from London

Similar here, the wind is cutting

Seriously... frost bite is no joke

Cousin who worked for a frozen food company in London lost two fingers due to frost bite

Did you get to see MYTHBUSTERS?.... Warning do not lick frozen metal poles!

Just come in from walking the hounds, we have no snow but the easterly wind off the sea cuts you in half.

Hi all, derbyshire is covered in snow and freezing !! the sun did come out for a short while and it started to melt but -4 is expected tonight roll on summer and the hosepipe ban.

MuswellMetro said:

... found the auto electric gate was frozen solid and a power cut so no chance of it opening

drove a mile to the east gate and had to walk about a mile across snow drifts to the hives carry fondant tools etc

had then to chip off ice from the ratchet straps that were iced to the rooofs (memo to self: never put the ratchets on the roof again-always at side)..all hives alive but all needed fondant so have to cut up the four blocks of apiinvert

one mile walk back...to car, first i could not undo the zips of the suit ,second i could not feel the car keys in my pocket
...

Click to expand...

OK, it was the bit about the ratchet straps that convinced me.
I have made sure that my lightest hive has got some fresh fondant on.
It is not too cold here.

MuswellMetro said:

It is only minus 2 but the wind chill is something different!!, what it is like to those of you Northerners north of Watford i dread to think....or are you all hardy soles, compared to us soft Southerners from London

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At minus 2 us northerners might be thinking about puttng on long trousers and a t shirt... but will probably wait until it's below minus 5

Is anyone finding fondant over feeder holes frozen solid? Had to put fresh on two hives and thaw original out!
E

Really cold here in Essex too

With encouragement from a beekeeper friend (who had fondant supply as mine had run out) went out and checked on the girls yesterday. Just lifting the roofs off gave me chilly fingers. One hive had poor starved girls in - with plenty of stores only about 4 inches away.... Just too cold to make the trek, and I guess the poor loves have brood to keep warm, which limits their ability to move the cluster closer to the food. Everyone now has fondant, but I'm worrying whether they will cross the crown board to reach it.... Please can we have our spring back?

itma said:

OK, it was the bit about the ratchet straps that convinced me.
I have made sure that my lightest hive has got some fresh fondant on.
It is not too cold here.

Click to expand...

i dont normal need fondant as i use 14x12as they usually have enough stores but this year...i have had in on for the last two weeks on a large hive and today it is on all of them

...18 degrees here today ...

Bought some pollen patties, for the first time, yesterday and flattened them into 250 gm pancakes to press onto the top bars of the 3 hives I know have got brood.

Went down to the hives to put it on but the scene looked so effing cold that I'll leave it til tomorrow - 0 C heavy cloud and icy wind at 2pm.....and this is a built=up London suburb!

(you're at it again, luminos)

Luminos said:

...18 degrees here today ...

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assume you mean 18 Fahrenheit and not that french metric Celsius rubbish

I spent four hours in the greenhouse today, relatively sheltered and in the balmy atmosphere of the South Coast ... I don't know why I bothered ... planted a whole load of veg seeds to try and get them started but don't think there's a hope in hell. Only things coming up are broad beans and peas, the seed potatoes are not even chitting. Took me an hour to get the feeling back in my feet when I went back indoors .. and it's going to get colder. Sorry for my two kids who live in Sheffield - 6" snow up there.

I've been putting tomatoes in 2" pots. They usually grow quickly in the kitchen and then I put them in the greenhouse at Easter. This year they are very small and have been slow to develop (the house is cold I guess and there is not much sun) and the unheated greenhouse is covered in snow. Brrrr!

I looked at the long range weather forecast. It starts to warm up after 14th April, but still cool, and the soil will be cold. I'm thinking of using the big hanging baskets (almost like hanging laundry bags) for the tomatoes so that they don't get such cold feet.

Lorenz said:

I've been putting tomatoes in 2" pots. They usually grow quickly in the kitchen and then I put them in the greenhouse at Easter. This year they are very small and have been slow to develop (the house is cold I guess and there is not much sun) and the unheated greenhouse is covered in snow. Brrrr!

I looked at the long range weather forecast. It starts to warm up after 14th April, but still cool, and the soil will be cold. I'm thinking of using the big hanging baskets (almost like hanging laundry bags) for the tomatoes so that they don't get such cold feet.

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yes a 45 days forecast issued mid march says simililar but ECWMF or MET O have yet to fall inline


I will have to iron the wife's bikini

enrico, and who was it that laughed at me when i said that i had cut out insulation on the hives?

MuswellMetro said:

yes a 45 days forecast issued mid march says simililar but ECWMF or MET O have yet to fall inline

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Lets just hope the weather improves for the heather in late july and August.

i am starting to think that i live in the wrong country for honey production

pargyle said:

I spent four hours in the greenhouse today, relatively sheltered and in the balmy atmosphere of the South Coast ... I don't know why I bothered ... planted a whole load of veg seeds to try and get them started but don't think there's a hope in hell. Only things coming up are broad beans and peas, the seed potatoes are not even chitting. Took me an hour to get the feeling back in my feet when I went back indoors .. and it's going to get colder. Sorry for my two kids who live in Sheffield - 6" snow up there.

Click to expand...

I invested in a cheap system of electric heating for my small greenhouse - .. With bubble insulation and carefull attention to stopping draughts, it works very well. Costs about £7 a week to run in this cold weather.. in the "normal" spring about £1.

Much better than a paraffin heater and cheaper to run.

Min overnight temps 9C - we have seen -8C outside.