Capped or Uncapped Honey next to the winter cluster?

[Patrick Comfert]

I have one small hive with too few bees to stay warm all winter outdoors so I have brought them into the semi heated tack room of my barn.   Have been wheeling the hive outside during warm days for them to fly and back inside when cold..  All is so far working out quite well.   They seem healthy, are eating, caring for the queen etc.

My question is they have set up their winter cluster over a section of the hive that still had uncapped honey in it.  Most of the cells have some amount of honey or necter in them but they are not full nor capped.   There are frames of capped honey other places in the hive that I could move closer to the cluster if it was better for them.

Just wondering.

Also what would the best temp be to keep my tack room where they could still move around and feed but not want to or need to fly?

Patrick.

[Dale Marsden]

45 degrees would be about right.   Same as if you were keeping them in a temp/humid.-controlled wintering building.

Dale 

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From: 'Patrick Comfert' via madbees <mad...@googlegroups.com>
To: madbees <mad...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Friday, November 27, 2015 10:33 PM
Subject: [madbees] Capped or Uncapped Honey next to the winter cluster?

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[Joseph Bessetti]

Whether the honey around them is capped or uncapped is less important than just having it around them.  Typically they seem to consume the uncapped first if it is near the cluster.

For somewhat "normal" wintering I think you want the temperature around 35-40 degrees F.   Any warmer and they will be more active and consume more stores.  If they are too active, they will also need more frequently cleansing flights, which will become problematic for you and them in a typical winter.  

Joe

Nov 2015 20:33:47 -0800

From: mad...@googlegroups.com
To: mad...@googlegroups.com

Subject: [madbees] Capped or Uncapped Honey next to the winter cluster?

[lin...@tds.net]

Hopefully the cluster is large enough.  Be sure to put something on top of cluster (top of frames so they have food to go up to.

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From: "Joseph Bessetti" <jbes...@hotmail.com>
To: mad...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Saturday, November 28, 2015 4:40:41 PM
Subject: RE: [madbees] Capped or Uncapped Honey next to the winter cluster?