I forgot to cover the bottom board of the bee hives 😭

[humblehillsfarm]

Moisture is a bigger threat by far than drafts. Bees ball up during cold. They flex their flight muscles repeatedly to generate heat. As the outside of the ball cools, they rotate inward to warm back up. Wash rinse repeat until it warms up.
As long as they have stores, I’m 99% positive they are fine. Use a mirror and look up through the screen bottom. If there’s dead piled on the floor, they may have succumbed. If there’s 30-50, they’re fine. Just too cold for housekeeping.

I only did a quick peak under this morning and didn't see a dead pile. There were some dead bees by the entrance. I was going to install the metal cover when I got home this evening and can take a peak. I really didn't think about using a mirror for a closer look. THANK YOU!

 

[MarkJr]

I only did a quick peak under this morning and didn't see a dead pile. There were some dead bees by the entrance. I was going to install the metal cover when I got home this evening and can take a peak. I really didn't think about using a mirror for a closer look. THANK YOU!

I’m in southern Oregon. Wet and windy are normal. I have about a month of 20-30 degree lows. I never close up.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I’m in southern Oregon. Wet and windy are normal. I have about a month of 20-30 degree lows. I never close up.

You all are making me feel so much better. It's been a slow week and a slow day at work so nothing to distract me from worrying except BYC!

 

[WthrLady]

With a square hive what would you think about putting the wool batting under the hive top cover? I wish I had a picture of what we have going on. There’s a thin over over the top hive box with an oval hole in the middle and a little gap on the rim to act as an exits from the hive. Then there is a lid that goes over that.

With square hives you wrap them like a package leaving the opening free, like you do with black tar paper.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

In case anyone else wants an update: a made a mountain out of a molehill. I put my
ear flat against both hives yesterday, and they were still buzzing away! Crisis adverted, for now. Bottom board has now been covered.

 

[WthrLady]

So they were napping.
I pulled that one last year. Thought they all died, Clean the hive of thousands of little dead bodies. Closed the bag up at dark and sat it next to the back door by my shoes to take it up the hill to the trashcan in the morning.
DH texted me when he went out to feed the livestock in the morning asking why there was a grocery sack of angry bees in the basement. (walkout)
I brought a bag full of sleeping bees into a warm house. Yes, they were pissed, but they were warm. LOL.

 

[WthrLady]

Better than my aunt who didn't know that when hamsters get cold, they curl up in a ball and go into topor (like hibernation) She thought all the kids hamsters died all at once and they had little funerals and everything. Ya.....she did not take that news well.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Ahh! I’m so happy!! Whew!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

So they were napping.
I pulled that one last year. Thought they all died, Clean the hive of thousands of little dead bodies. Closed the bag up at dark and sat it next to the back door by my shoes to take it up the hill to the trashcan in the morning.
DH texted me when he went out to feed the livestock in the morning asking why there was a grocery sack of angry bees in the basement. (walkout)
I brought a bag full of sleeping bees into a warm house. Yes, they were pissed, but they were warm. LOL.

I’d tried to find out how much bees slow down in the cold and down to what temps they can actually survive, but couldn’t find what I was looking for. This definitely explains why I couldn’t hear them! It was about 45 deg when I listened yesterday and 30 when I listed the other morning.

Better than my aunt who didn't know that when hamsters get cold, they curl up in a ball and go into topor (like hibernation) She thought all the kids hamsters died all at once and they had little funerals and everything. Ya.....she did not take that news well.

Omg that is horrifying. Poor hamsters!

Ahh! I’m so happy!! Whew!

Me too! Now only 4-5 months left to go of winter lol.

 

[WthrLady]

OH ya.
below 38 they're zonked out
45 degrees they're awake - just inside kicking back with a cup of coffee and shuffling around the hive in their slippers,
at 54 they come out to poke around the yard.
They prefer the 70s.- 70s and sunny and they're bonkers.
About 100 degrees and they hide to find the cool and beard the hive and have trouble keeping cool.
All very useful numbers to have handy when you have things to spray.