wintering Buckfast bees in Finland

[juhanilunden]

I have been breeding for varroatolerance for 10 years now, in the beginning I started by decreasing the treatment (one time oxalic acid dropping) each year. I stopped all teratments 2008.

Sadly I have still over 60% losses this year. Hopefully the future is not as hard.

[elfensommer]

You are writing your bees do not need any treatment against varroa. That´s surprising. Where do you live in Finland? May it be that there are not so many beekeepers around whose bees are infecting yours with the mites? A beekeeper from the Lofoten told me they haven´t any varroas there at all, and, of corse, they do anything to keep it that way. Search for - "Besuch am Bienenstand" - on youtube, and you can see the "Iberica"-bees I am working with. And, sadly, varroa is a big problem...

[adrianbarosan]

What kind of food give to the bees in autum for a good wintering?

[juhanilunden]

@adrianbarosan

About 25 liters 65% sugar solution. Besides this I do not feed bees (in case of starvation of course, but no stimulation feeding)

[adrianbarosan]

@juhanilunden

How many frames full of bees is minim, in hive, for a good wintering?

[juhanilunden]

Thanks for commenting. Good ventilation is the key factor.

We have had two hard winters in row. The lowest temperatures have not been anything special (-35- -40C) but the duration of the freezing temperatures (=under zero Celsius) have been exceptionally long.

The old wisdom still holds: If the bees are healthy, they have enough food of good quality and a good queen, it doesn´t matter whats the winter like, the bees will be fine.

[wolfcrossing]

I am looking for a way to keep my bees happier in the winter, it got 18 below this year. This might just work. thanks

[jrm6623]

What are you using for outer covers? Those look like cut up sheets of 2" foam insulation.

[juhanilunden]

@jrm6623

exactly those they are

I have been using them for 15 years, they used to be much cheaper

sides last longer when you paint them

[jrm6623]

@juhanilunden Thanks! that's a great idea I'll have to look into as a possible option.