It’s mid December and I find myself going in circles. Checking dates that become available for surrounding bee schools and also watching weather reports so I can check my bee hives that I have out. I feel that most of my hives are in good shape but needing warmer temperatures of at least 50 degrees in order to do a brief inspection. A brief inspection would include lifting the rear of the bee hive to check the weight and being prepared to feed if necessary. Bees can be fed sugar water, corn syrup and winter patties.
Feeding can be a benefit for the overall health of the colony. When temperatures drop for extended periods of time, stored reserves are used up as energy and needs to be replenished. A simple and an easy way to feed are by using winter patties. Winter patties are loaded with carbohydrates and small amounts of protein with a low moisture level content. They should be placed on the frames just above the cluster. Any inspection should be brief and should not disturb the cluster. Feeding could be done when weather permits as needed.
8 Comments
I leave no less then 2 full supper of honey on my hives. This year I left more then 100 lbs on some of my hives. They are hives that build up very quick in the spring. It mades no sence to pull honey only to maybe need to feed in late winter.
I can extract anything they don’t feed on in the spring. It’s not going to go bad on the hive.
To check my hives in the winter, it doesn’t matter if there is 2 feet of snow on the ground. I keep my slide out bottom tray in my hives year round. I use them to see what is going on in my hive without getting in the hive by checking them every couple days. I look for wax dropping on them an to see if my bees are moving around in the hive. The droppings will fall closer to the wall of the box if they are moving from the center of the box. If you find that they aren’t moving from center you can tack a piece of black trash bag to your hive on the side of the sun. This will allow passive heating inside of the hive. Just a few degrees will help your bees to move around to feed further from the center. Just keep a eye on the bottom tray, it will tell you everything you need to know once you learn to read them. Don’t forget to clean them off every time you check them.
I hope this helps everyone.
Summer Shade Bees and Beekeeping Equipment/ facebook
We built a contraption so we can weigh them. I fully agree with you: it does not make sense to take most of their honey and then have to mess around (and I mean MESS around taking chances on drowning the girls or chilling the brood.
This year, I moved them on a slab of black cement so they could touch side by side and wrapped them up in silver insulation. For the first time this year, I removed the varroa board so I could place them on something more solid. Actually, I placed an inner cover under them, with a winter entrance. This way, if they can’t take a cleansing flight and die inside, they will fall through the inner cover onto a solid board and can be removed early in the spring. I did get used to “reading the droppings” and you are right: it always told me plenty. I’dd only add: When you clean them up, don’t leave the dropping strewn about in the apiary: Get rid of that stuff, just in case. (when I render wax, I pass it through 3-4 shop towels, the blue kind. The droppings can then be spread inside and rolled. Super as a fire starter! and all the varroas get cooked. Ha! If I don’t have a fire to start, I burn it anyway.
I am new at this and nervous about my bees going hungry this winter I just caught a swarm in May and I am unsure about what I need to be looking for it has been in the 20’s here in MO I have put straw bales around but am needing expert advice anybody?
I want to get started but I am very nervous about my long harsh winters in Truckee, CA at 5,800 feet elevation. The last two weeks at night temps have dropped to around zero. It does not get that cold very often, most of the time it is around 20-30. Also being that there is snow on the ground 6 months out of the year can I have a successful, happy, and healthy hive?
In Central WI, I’ve kept bees in -30 F. I have Italians and Carnolians. Carnolians are more sturdy / cold tolerant. What kind to you have? The cold is not what kills the bees. Usually, it is moisture (condensation) and lack of stores. I would worry more about condensation if they entered winter with good stores. Are they wrapped with good insulation and a small opening top and bottom for ventilation? To make sure of the stores, you might want to move them to a lower elevation as soon as possible, although at your altitude, it is definitely possible. You might want to follow threads such as Keeping bees at high altitude and see what those folks do. We have freezing temps on and off from late August through mid-May. January is our coldest month and often we reach 35- 40 below.
In Central WI, I’ve kept bees in -30 F. I have Italians and Carnolians. Carnolians are more sturdy / cold tolerant. What kind to you have? The cold is not what kills the bees. Usually, it is moisture (condensation) and lack of stores. I would worry more about condensation if they entered winter with good stores. Are they wrapped with good insulation and a small opening top and bottom for ventilation? To make sure of the stores, you might want to move them to a lower elevation as soon as possible, although at your altitude, it is definitely possible. You might want to follow threads such as Keeping bees at high altitude and see what those folks do. We have freezing temps on and off from late August through mid-May. January is our coldest month and often we reach 35- 40 below.
Can I use sugar cubes as a winter feed source for my bees