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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
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Mon, 4 Jan 2010 10:48:42 -0500
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> Allen, Is that all frost in the center photo, or left over protein patty?

Frost, ice.

> Did you add the pillow beforehand, or when you wrapped?

I keep the pillows on all year and add few extras when wrapping.

> Seems like an awful lot of moisture.

Yes, it does, but does not seem to hurt them, and I suspect it may even benefit them in this cold, dry climate.  It is to the side and not overhead.  Above them is a plastic insulated pillow which has little heat inertia or heat capacity.  Since I have used this method, I often lift lids over winter, since it is not harder than in summer, and this sort of ice is not unusual after extended cold spells.

In other regions, such moisture may be detrimental, but I have had excellent results with this method, although the frame wood does darken.

> Can't say I've seen anything like that. Maybe I'd better dig some out of the snow...Burlington got 33" yesterday...and look. Not easily done, most have nuc boxes on top.

With the nuc boxes as a source of heat above, and unless you get down into the minus 30 C range for an extended time, you may not see anything this extreme.  

http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/articles/WrappingJan2010.htm

From the chart (latest version at the bottom of the article), I see we've been below freezing since the beginning of December with only a few daily highs poking a little above the freezing point, and I am not sure how long those temperature peaks lasted and if they were actually experienced in the  microclimate of my beeyard, since they were recorded twenty miles away.

I'll be updating the chart later today as well.

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