Has to be a brand new or close to it razor, and the bag at least 3/4 full. But pinholes are good too!
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Hi Dan, Thanks for your offer of assistance, unfortunately I donât own any scales.
Up until it got really cold a week or so ago bees from both hives were bringing in pollen from dandelions. Thankfully the sun has been shining since I posted and I have covered the small hive with rugs and a sleeping bag until I can get to town, I have also used an entrance reducer, they looked pretty good from what I could determine.
My last hive inspection the bees were occupying 7 frames out of 10. I probably should have combined them with my bigger colony but I really wanted to give them a chance. Even though they are a small colony, I caught them as a swarm in October last year, they are a gentle yet tough colony. The first time I caught them they were quite a large colony but they swarmed a week later and came back the next day as a smaller swarmâŚI suspect the second time they came back was with a virgin queen. It looked queen less in the beginning as I couldnât see the queen and I had no sign of eggs or brood. Then one day I did another inspection and found capped drone brood and one cell with around six eggs in it. I thought I had laying workers so ordered a queen. I added the queen and 10 days later she was still in her cage so I released her, she was balled out six times before she died, the poor thing. It was then I had a more experienced beekeeper visit with a very strong colony for me to buy with the idea of joining them but when we opened the hive and pulled the second frame out there lay the most glorious golden queen. Over the Summer I helped bolster numbers by adding a full frame of capped workers, this was successful. I didnât take any honey from the box at all and they looked like they had enough for the size of the colony. They were still bringing pollen back as I said and the box definitely feels heavier.
Hi Eva,
Yes, itâs a Flow hive roof. I have a brick over the hole to reduce space at present. I will have a look for a recipe to make some syrup. Thanks for your message.
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To make a feeder: You can get a small jar- punch some small holes in the lid with a nail- fill it with syrup and sit it over that hole in the roof. If itâs not raining you can leave the roof off for the day whilst the bees eat the syrup.
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Hi Sharon, if you are in country Victoria, it may take longer for the bees to find forage, but plants are starting to move now in urban areas in the southern states of Vic and Tas. Iâm not sure if your bees need feeding but in early April when you last inspected the hive you didnât think they would. Just two things about winter feeding to consider. Firstly, the bees will try to evaporate the water out of your sugar solution. This water may condense inside the hive and cause some issues, particularly in cold areas. Secondly, Iâm wondering if feeding can bring on more tendency to swarm in springâŚ
With some experience (down the track of course) you might be able to lift the back of the hive to estimate the weight of honey in it. The weight you feel is approximately half the weight of the hive. You need to calculate how much of that is wood and bees etc. to work out the honey proportion.
Hi Shaz, 7 frames of bees sounds like heaps. If you can find a jar & lid that sits over the hole in the crown board, then still be able to put the roof on, thatâd be good.
Thereâs probably no urgency to wrap the hive in styro with that many bees. I thought it might be only one or two frames, when you said âtinyâ. However the more insulation, the less honey (or syrup) theyâll consume to generate heat.
Itâs wet, miserable & cold up here today. Iâve got my fire going.
Good luck with your bees, cheers for now
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Hi Dan,
I am in high country Victoria and from what Iâve read in the Australian Beekeeping Manual by Robert Owen it may be too late to open the hive due to temperature here at present. I could be just over anxious and comparing them to the big colony.
Hi Jeff,
Thatâs a good idea re: the jar. The fires are burning here too! The sunâs out but itâs cold. This is my first Winter with bees and I saw too many stories on FB of our Northern beekeeping friends who lost a lot of bees to the cold temps. Mind you they have a much colder Winter. As I said aboveâŚI am probably worrying for nothing. Fingers crossed. What area are you in? Just curious about the rainâŚwe have a 50-75% chance of rain tomorrow.
You canât beat that fire Shaz. For the few months we use it, itâs worth having I reckon. Weâre at Buderim on the Sunshine Coast.
I think the good thing for us down under is the queens never stop laying. I think even in Tassie the queens continue to lay. @Dan2 knows more about that.
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Hi Sharon, yesâŚno donât open it now. Up (edit) top in Vic would be colder than here at night. We had a frost this morning and peaked at around 9 c. The bees from my hives were out and about today no probs. If it is still and sunny and not frosty they are always out.
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Hi Semaphore,
I wouldnât be game to take the roof off hereâŚitâs too cold here this time of year but I like the sound of your suggestion during the warmer months. Hopefully there will be plenty of nectar when the weather improves with the change of seasons.
@Shaz Even a thick wheelie bin black liner will help lift the hive temperature, it will heat up from the sun and cut down on the wind chill. Put it on âupside downâ over the hive and âduct tapeâ it up enough that the bees can still get out of the entrance.
I agree with Jeff though that having 7 frames of bees is still a strong colony and shouldnât be a concern unless you climate includes being âsnowed inâ.
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Is that Aussie for garbage bag @Peter48? 
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Yes, our garbage bins have wheels and pretty big, I have used the wheelie bin black liner upside down with a hole for my head to poke out as a rain coat which comes down to my shoes. There are two thicknesses, one you can almost see through and tears and the ticker one is pretty tough and has to be cut with a sharp knife or scissors. Our garbage bins is about equivalent to a three story 10 frame Langstroth, but nowhere near as nice smelling. 
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Brilliant idea!! Thanks for the reassurance. Hopefully all is well. I feel better this morning as I sit here listening to the rain that I had something to keep the rain off my hives. They should bee feeling lovely and cosy.
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Hahaha Yep! Correct!
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Hi Sharon, Take care you donât over-do the kindness, bees are hardy little critters and can take a bit of weather in their stride. I read you as being up in the Victorian high country which doesnât paint much of a picture about your climate Two years ago I rode my motor cycle to Phillip Island in September through hail and freezing weather and got frostbite on my toes riding in leather boots, brrrr.
Up here we are suffering nights down to 10c and days still in the early 20âs, winter is here with some needed rain and already the Spring Wattle and Paper Barks are flowering well, Gums are in bud, our bees forage well all of the year with an ideal climate for them.
Regards
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Hi again, you donât need to leave the roof off. If you use a small jar you can put it back on.
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