Subject: Do I need to shovel snow from hives?

From: Marc Andelman <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 08 Dec 1996 00:04:52 -0800

Hi.  I am a hobby keeper, which may be obvious from this
question.  Do I need to shovel snow from my bee hives?
Also, I put a fron entrance reducer, but have an oval
hole in the top hive cover.  Should I cover that up too,
or do the bees need the air? I live in Worcester, MA, which
is pretty cold.

Regards,
Marc Andelman

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From: Ted Fischer <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 08 Dec 1996 01:31:00 -0400

> or do the bees need the air? I live in Worcester, MA, which

IMHO, the answer depends on snow depth.  Bees need access to the outside
in order to fly on warm sunny winter days, so the snow should not block
the entrance.  I drill 7/8 in. holes in the front of my hive bodies for
extra entrances, in case the snow blocks the lower entrance before I can
get to clear it away.  About the inner cover hole - leave it open
because the hive needs ventilation to get rid of moisture in the winter.

Ted Fischer
Dexter, Michigan USA

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From: "Alyn W. Ashworth" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1996 09:25:46 +0000

In article <[email-masked]>, Marc Andelman
<[email-masked]> writes
> Do I need to shovel snow from my bee hives?
Snow is a good insulator, so I wouldn't brush snow from on top of, or
around, your hives *****EXCEPT***** that sunlight reflected on snow in
front of the hive entrance can temp your bees out for cleansing flights,
with fatal consequences if the air temperature is low. We aren't
troubled with much snow here on the West Coast of the U.K., but the
recommended response is to lay a board against the hive front so it
casts a shadow on the entrance and doesn't get the bees excited over so
much incomming light.
>or do the bees need the air? I live in Worcester, MA, which
There are almost as many different opinions about ventilation as there
are bee-keepers. I tend to leave a hole in the crown board, covered with
a piece of wire mesh, and then put a square of carpet over the crown
board before adding the roof, on the basis of insulation plus some
ventilation, but I'm sure you'll get a lot of different ideas on this!
-- 
Alyn W. Ashworth
Lancashire & North-West Bee-Keepers' Association.
(but I don't speak on their bee-half)

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From: [email-masked] (Aaron Morris)
Date: Mon, 09 Dec 96 08:28:37 EST

In article <[email-masked]>
 
>or do the bees need the air? I live in Worcester, MA, which
 
Hi Marc,
 
Suffering from two major snow dumps in three days?  If the snow has
covered the reduced entrance and if you have provided no top entrances
then you will have to clear an entrance for your bees to take cleansing
flights when the temperatures get high enough (45 F).  The oval hole in
the inner cover will allow your bees to come and go if you prop up the
outer cover by putting a spacer (pencil) between the inner and outter
cover.  Upper entrances are a good idea in these parts anyway.  Besides
snow build up, in the winter dead bees may also clog the bottom entrance.
 
Other common upper entrances include a half inch auger hole drilled in
the upper brood box or a small notch (1X3/8 inch) routed in the inner
cover.  I prefer the latter as I hate to drill holes in brood boxes and
with box swapping, the box with the hole always seems to end up on the
bottom in subsequent years (not a big deal, but the notched inner cover
ALWAYS remains on top).  Furthermore, the notched inner cover can be
opened or closed simply by shifting the outter cover forward to open or
back tightly against the notch to close.  This allows you to have an open
top entrance in the winter when it's needed and closed in the summer when
the bees have unobstructed use of the bottom board entrance.
 
A final word of advice, if you are not a member of the Worcester County
Beekeepers Association, join!  It is the best beekeeping association I
have ever witnessed and the members are full of good advice.  You won't
find a better bunch of beekeepers or a better association!
 
Aaronb Morris - I think, therefore I bee!