Re: http://www.honeybeeworld.com/JanChart.jpg

> Are your hives inclined towards the entrance? If so, could it be that the water that  was frozen is now flowing outside the hive due to the over 0�C ambient temp?

Yes, I have sloping floors.  That is a good guess.  Earlier discussions mentioed the frost up under the lids, and I suggested that there might be a few ounces there in each case.  I don't know if it melted yet or not, but if it did, this would be a factor.  Obviously some of the weight loss will be ice melting once we have sustained temps over zero, and that is expected Tuesday.  So far in the past day or two, the temps have been hovering right around freezing with more hours far below the freezing point.  There is a lot more detail in my diary, along with the usual dreary personal stuff. 

Dditionally, there was dampness on the hive exteriors and pallet that my wife mentioned had dried between the past two readings.

> Did the(y) fly out? Do you see dead bees outside the hive? Could the drop in weight be due to losing old bees? 

My wife said there were five bees flying around when she was weighing.  I have seen constant numbers of dead bees in the snow regardless of temperature.  The temperature might affect how many we see, though, because at Christmas, I was snowboarding on a ski rope behind the 4x4 several hundred yards away and saw a few bees on the snow away out there.  On colder days they would not go as far.

> If so, is the queen back on laying mode?

I would think this moisture and increased activity will increase the brood area to a few spots the size of a small fist, but if I had to guess, the bees will tighten up again and settle down.  We still have several months of cold coming. I can recall an entire week of minus forty in early Februray one year (1988).

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