# Tuesday was a beautiful day in Michigan.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

It got to 60F by early afternoon. I had to go fix a wind block privacy fence at a bee yard. I went out to the pick up with an arm full of tools only to see thousands of those small brown spots covering the truck. The girls after beeing cooped up for so long during the looooooooog cold spell were going potty.

Got to the bee yard to see two of the four colonies there bearded up on the front or the hives soaking in the sun. Another colony had bees doing burial detail carrying out bodies away from the hive. One didn't seem to be active so I popped the outer cover and saw them down between the frames doing some sort of work.

I came back home after the chore was finished, looked at the 15 colonies in the front yard. Plenty of activity there and I understood why so many brown spots on the truck. Looked at the two colonies behind the honey house one was cleaning out dead bodies, the second were loungeing at a crack between the first and second deep on the north east corner. 
I got to the colonies in the backyard to see one very active colony a couple not so busy and two I again thought may be dead. Pulling the top cover and peeking down between the frames proved me wrong.

A fellow owning the land of one bee yard Had called to say the hives there were just black with bees on the front of all the colonies. He said they were drinking water from a puddle in his driveway. 
He was tickled they were still alive. He had tried to keep his own bees but as he puts it failed misaberly there. 
He had once kept 12 hives many miles farther north where the winter weather is more even keeled, rather than the ups and downs we experence here. 
He used to bury his hive there in snow for insulation.
Now if we can keep a more even keel again for the next 45 days we may see a good spring build up and a low lose percentage.

 Al


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Can you keep that nice warm air going for a while? We are driving up today to start looking for a house now that ours has sold here. Last time we came up, we were looking at houses in -9 degrees and 20 inches of snow on the ground! 

I sold my hives here yesterday. When is a good time to start a new hive in southern Michigan?


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Sorry to say that the nice warm weather we had was just a couple days worth to try and kill off the stupid ones(people).
This morning the bees are back in a tight cluster with a temp of 35F and wind chill of 22F and snowing again.

I think about the soonest packages are ready for pick up here is around Apirl 22nd range (week end nearest that date). If ya can hold off till mid May it is best though I think.

*SEMBA ADS
Package bees from Georgia will arrive April 20, 2009, 2#/ $58, 3#/ $67. SEMBA members will receive a $5 discount per package. There is a ten package limit. Call Mike Siarkowski, 517-545-0824 to place orders. Bees can be picked up at Shaun Shubelâs home, 345 Chilson Rd., Howell, MI, 517-548-5176. 

Package bees (Italian) from Wilbanks Apiary, Georgia. Pick up date is April 20. Call Blanche Barber, 248-634-7017 for more details. *
Good grief why would any one want to move to Michigan? Over 10% unemployment and going up every day. People are moving out of the state in droves still.
If you enjoy winter though it is a great place to live. I do enjoy the snow myself.

 Al


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

alleyyooper said:


> Good grief why would any one want to move to Michigan? Over 10% unemployment and going up every day. People are moving out of the state in droves still.
> If you enjoy winter though it is a great place to live. I do enjoy the snow myself. Al


Thanks for the info.

We are moving to MI because Dh's job said he will move to Mi or be looking for another job. Even with all the people moving OUT - we are having a VERY tough time finding a job.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I understand the following the job thing.

In case you would like to know.
*Package bees from Georgia will arrive April 20, 2009, 2#/ $58, 3#/ $67. SEMBA members will receive a $5 discount per package. There is a ten package limit. Call Mike Siarkowski, 517-545-0824 to place orders. Bees can be picked up at Shaun Shubelâs home, 345 Chilson Rd., Howell, MI, 517-548-5176. *

I bought packages of bees from Shawn a few years ago. The 3 pound packages we got were really full, I felt well worth the price.
I know Mike real well also. We did a work shop on harvesting honey at bee conferance onece. He keeps pestering me on doing a work shop on bee removals.

 Al


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

Al, speaking of cold winter temps, do you put in a solid bottom board or leave it with just the screen during the winter?

Also, do you wrap your hives?


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

We leave the girls on a screen bottom board for winter. It is closed off with the flashing insert.

Nope don't wrap, to many and it didn't seem to make a difference when I did wrap some of them. Our records show we lost more wraped hives than unwrapped ones.

 Al


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

alleyyooper said:


> I understand the following the job thing.
> 
> In case you would like to know.
> *Package bees from Georgia will arrive April 20, 2009, 2#/ $58, 3#/ $67. SEMBA members will receive a $5 discount per package. There is a ten package limit. Call Mike Siarkowski, 517-545-0824 to place orders. Bees can be picked up at Shaun Shubelâs home, 345 Chilson Rd., Howell, MI, 517-548-5176. *
> ...


I will call him as soon as I get home from House hunting.....I guess I need to join SWMBA....do they have cute yellow shirts like my last group?


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

Thanks for the info about the screened bottom and the wrapping.

At one of our bee club meetings recently we were talking about wrapping and around here (which is not nearly as cold as what you have) the consensus is to avoid wrapping. Apparently a study was done and it shows that wrapping can fool the bees into thinking it's warmer outside than it truly is, and they go for a cleansing flight and die.

I currently have only screened bottom boards in my hives, with no flashing or other solid material. I'm following the practices of some of the more experienced and successful beekeepers in my club, and that's what they do. It just seems like that's a lot of air movement in there for such cold temperatures. I'm torn as to whether to leave them open or find something to close them off.

On the bright side, when we had our last warm spell both of my hives were quite active so that was encouraging.


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