In a message dated 21/01/2008 01:21:40 GMT Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

Have you  checked?
>

Hi Chris and all

Dave lives 100-200km northeast  of me.  Tonight at 6:30 it is -14C  
cooling down from a high  today of -10C.  His weather will be cooler.   
As all  beekeeping is local, no opening hives here yet.



I take that to be a 'No' then.  When I learnt beekeeping I believed  the 
books that said that brood rearing ceases in winter. Now I know that this is  not 
so, at least in this area (southern UK). A beekeeper in the far north of  
England where it is much colder (by our standards) by way of study opened her  
hives all through one winter and found no broodless period. So it isn't true  
there either.  
 
Would you like to check yours, Bob, and report?  If you don't want to  tear 
your hive apart, how about surreptitiously dangling a thermometer in the  
cluster (or an electronic probe of you have one handy) and see if they are  
maintaining brood rearing temperatures (34C I think) in the centre?   If they are 
maintaining that temperature can you think of any reason for that  except for 
rearing brood?
 
Chris



   

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