I've been reading and learning for a while; now I've a question ...
We are in Waterbury CT; the winter temps have been fluctuating
eriods of
20s, periods of 40s, periods of 30s. We've one hive, three deeps tall.
Normally it's two deeps, but we had a late summer swarm which we were able
to rehouse in one deep. A local beekeeper suggested we combine to improve
the chances of overwintering. The entrance was reduced for the winter.
There's a layer of loose tarpaper on the sides and back. The hive roof is
raised a bit at the front, as is the top board (the latter ever so slightly).
Here's the puzzlement: a few weeks ago I noticed liquid at the entrance,
flowing out from the hive along the bottom board. As is my habit, I every
so often use a small twig to flick out dead bees near the entr
ance. It turned
out that liquid was not moisture, but honey. I thought a mouse had gotten in
(never had that before). I pulled out the reducer and took a look--dead bees
on the bottom board, no sign (to my eyes) of a mice or mouse-damage. Recently
it warmed a bit, so I took the roof off. The underside was dry. The bees I saw
through the oval of the top board were active, calm, moving about just under
the top board. (A sign, perhaps, they'll need syrup soon [if not sooner]).
(That day a sprinkled some sugar near the opening.) What I don't understand,
is the honey flowing out. Could it actually be warm enough inside for the
cappings to melt? ...
I've revealed probably a lot of my ignorance about the above. I inherited
hives from my father-in-law, as true beekeeper. I tell people I'm no beekeeper,
just s.o. who tries to do right by one hive (repeopled twice in the last four
years). I'll be ordering a spring package--with luck, that'll mean two hives.
... Anyway, thanks for your patience with this missive. The Bee-L has been a
real boon to me, but I can understand the need for BestOfBee and other forums
for the more experienced beekeepers. ... Apologies for poor netiquette by
going on for so long, but I wanted to give a context to my question. Thanks.