Condensation in super

[Melmar]

The super has been on for about a month, not a lot of action in there yet. This morning it has dropped to 6 degrees and went to have a look thru side windows and back window and noticed a lot of condensation, is this normal as it is my first winter. Not a lot of bees flying in and out. Could this be because of the cold?I live in North Qld
Do the bees slow down flying in and out of hive when it’s cold? I am worried they have swarmed.

[Wizard]

Wintering your Flow Hive / Flow Frames

Wintering your Flow Hive / Flow Frames is an important consideration that you will need to make. We have a lot of different advice on the forum, and it all varies depending on region and beekeeper. If you post a topic about wintering please include your location so that newbees can see the best options for their area. We also have our faq here: https://www.honeyflow.com/faqs/wintering-your-flow-hive/p/206#a2 [image] We cannot emphasise enough that it is best to consult your local beekeeper…

Here is a link to winterizing your flow.

[Eva]

@Melmar

Do the bees slow down flying in and out of hive when it’s cold?

Yes, at 6c they will be clustered in a compact group around the queen to conserve heat. Bees can survive long cold winters with adequate stores and enough shelter, but condensation (or cold drafts) undermines their effort to make and retain body heat and will kill them. Remove your super ASAP if you expect more cold weather & read through the posts @Wizard linked for you.

[Melmar]

Thank you for your information

[Dawn_SD]

I would be surprised in your climate if the bees cluster. However, maybe @JeffH can add some of his extensive experience. He is about 900 km south of you, but I don’t think his bees ever cluster or have a brood break.

[Eva]

Dawn is right, input from someone more local than me here in the northeastern part of the US would be best

[JeffH]

Thanks Dawn, @Melmar I see you are in Mackay, I’m in Buderim. My bees never cluster down here during the winter. In fact by the time we get to the end of July, some of my strongest hives are preparing to swarm. I never remove honey supers during the winter. One thing I started doing a few years ago is to reduce the entrances with strips of latex from an old mattress. By using that, as soon as the bees want a bigger entrance, they simply chew it out to suit themselves. We’re only a couple of weeks away from the shortest day. The bees seem to know when the shortest day has passed, because after that they start to get ready for swarming season by expanding the brood & producing more drones.

[Melmar]

Thank you that is a great idea. This will probably be our only 3 cold days and this is my first winter with bees, so there is plenty to learn.

Many thanks
Regards

Melanie