Tips for Beekeeping in Colder Climates

Winters are crucial for the bees and bee-keepers should ensure that the bees are healthy enough to survive the cold temperatures. Poor management of hives can destroy the hives and leave the bees dead. We have a list of tips that will help you manage the beehives during the winter.

What Happens in a Beehive in the Winters?

The older bees of a hive form a thick outer layer in the winters which is also known as mantel. The younger bees make a thinner inner layer. The bees position their bodies in various configurations to dissipate and contract heat as required by the climate. Bees have the ability to place their bodies exactly in a way that their thoracic layers intertwine.

Bee hair has the same properties as down (feathers) and thus resist heat loss. When the cluster forms an entwined layer, it shuts off ventilation between combs and through the cluster. A cluster thereby efficiently forms an impenetrable insulation to survive winters.

When the body temperature of the bees in the outer layer falls, they shiver using their flight muscles and generate body heat. This drains a lot of energy from the bees and several may die in the process too. As bee-keepers, we can help them in certain ways so they can conserve heat in their body and endure winters.

1. Check the Weight of Every Beehive

Bees feed on the stored honey during the winters. They do not leave the hive to collect food. Therefore you must ensure that there is enough food for them to survive the winter. You should check the weight of every beehive. The minimum weight of each hive should be about 70 lbs to 100 lbs. Anything below that means your hive needs to be fed. You can feed them fondant and grease patties. You can place the food in the hive just as the winters are setting in. Leaving food for them also saves the stored honey from being used.

2. A Strong Queen Will Help the Bees Survive Winters

A young queen will keep the hive safe throughout the winter. An old queen will be unable to lay strong broods. The more bees are there, the stronger the hive is. More bees will be able to collect proper food for winter and also keep the hive insulated. If you find your queen is old, then you should re-queen the hive. Make sure you do it on time while you still have enough time for winters to come in.

3. Move Your Bees and Provide a Wind Breaker

A good bee-keeper ensures that the bees have access to full sunlight during the winters. It is important that they stay warm during the harsh winters. Don’t wait for winters to completely set in, instead look for a place beforehand and move the bees as the temperatures begin to go down. Storms and cold winds are common during the winters and they might kill your bees. You should create a sturdy fence around your apiary so the hives may stay safe from storm or winds. Windbreakers help in securing the hives and from baring the bees to dangerous temperatures.

4. Diseases and Pests Should be Treated Early

Bees are susceptible to diseases and pests. One should always keep an eye on the hives and bees and unusual behavior in the hive and the bees should be checked for immediately. The varroa mite, for instance, attacks the hives during the winters. They attach themselves on the throat of the bee and multiply rapidly. If they are not dealt with soon, the entire hive will die. Chemical treatments and mesh floors should be used to fight this mite. You can even try powdered sugar to extricate the mite from the bees. Tracheal mite, tropilaelaps mite, foulbrood, etc. are some of the diseases and pests that they attract. Before winters, the hives should be thoroughly checked for any types of diseases or pest attacks. It is difficult to treat diseases during cold temperatures. You should check the hives at regular intervals in the winters to see the bees are pest-free. However, don’t expose them to the outside temperature very often.

5. Keep Them Safe from Predators

We tend to leave the hives unattended for a longer time, which makes them vulnerable to different predators. Honey, bees and broods are a yummy treat for predators big and small. Badgers, wasps, foxes, woodpeckers, bear, hive beetles, mice, skunks and many more. Larger predators can easily knock down hives that have not been strapped to their place securely. A wasps attack can be deadly; they are known to invade beehives in the winters and even destroy the entire hive in no time. Wasp traps in the entrance of the hive will ensure that the deadly wasps stay far from your bees.

With a little preparation before the winters, you can easily make sure that the hives are safe.