Randy Oliver wrote:
> Comments anyone?  No need to tell us how cold it gets in your area, just
> whether you see the above occur.
>
>
>
Two weeks of 0° - 25°F and a weaker colony.....the 10 frame box colony, 
which had moved over to the outside frames perished when the cluster was 
stuck for two weeks literally an inch from 10lbs of honey

and they could not move. Too few bees for the size box.  If the 
configuration had been a 5/5 instead of single 10, these bees would have 
remained in contact with food while they waited out the cold.
There were 4 frames of honey left in the box.*  They were not on 
brood*.  Box size/configuration to match cluster size, matters in 
extreme conditions. Although bees do not heat the box, their ability to 
conserve heat is hampered in larger volumes...and they move "up" easier 
than it is to move "over", I believe in part because it is warmest at 
the top.  Just observation here in Wisconsin.

Kevin McMahon


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