Winter time hive preparation

Today let’s talk about winter time preparation for spring. This consists of making sure your equipment is ready and waiting for the honey bees. The spring is a very busy time for honey bees.  Winter is a busy time for beekeepers. I like to take this time to clean and inspect hives that don’t have bees in them. This is a prime time to paint wooden ware and replace wax foundation in your frames.

Winter is also a good time to go and visit with fellow beekeepers at classes that are usually held at beekeeping conferences all over the state. In these events I learn from other beekeepers about issues that affect all of us. We see how beekeepers from other countries take care of their bees and what issues are affecting them. I also use this time to look back on records that were kept in the years past. These records can help me do what works best first, instead of using the old trial and error thing.

Ventilation problems

I read the other day that sometimes honey bees may become ice bound in the winter. When this happens, it can look as though the beehive starved, even though there can be a full super full of honey below the cluster, this can be a hard thing to prove. This can be caused by a poor winter location. Some locations are wetter and increase the chances of moisture build-up. Also, this may be caused by poor air ventilation in your hive; you always need air circulation year round. It is important that you have a lower and upper air access, even in the smallest amounts, to allow a small convection within the hive for moist air to leave the hive.

I have heard of many things being done to help maintain moisture in the past year, external heating elements for the hive, indoor winterization, and crazy things like that. But the best way to ensure that your bees are going to enjoy a dryer winter season is to ensure that the hive is properly insulated on the roof. Heat rises in the hive and it is through this heat loss that the outside temperature fluctuations will directly affect moisture content.  That is why it is important that we offer as much space for the bees to regulate their own hive temperature with very little stress on the bees as possible.

Long day

Tonight I wanted to tell you about a dear friend of mine. Earlier this morning I got a call from my wife, our dog could not stand or get up on her own. My family was left with a terrible choice to have to make. Tirzah was a beautiful Husky mix that took care of us for 16 years. She loved us and always was on watch to make sure we were ok. When I got home from work this morning we made the decision to put her to sleep, so we went to the vet. Tirzah brought my family so much joy over the last 16 years, and she will be missed every day.

Let’s talk about the bees for a moment. Today was a warm and unseasonable day with temperatures in the mid-70s. Now as I write this post its 66 degrees near 11 pm. In the next few days it will be in the 30s or even 20s. What does this mean for the bees? Well they have been out flying today taking cleansing flights. Hopefully they will understand bad weather is on the way. One bad part of this is the honey bees are burning energy and they eat honey every time they fly. This time of year when they burn energy they are not replacing the honey they eat, No nectar. This can cause some big problems for a bee keeper if they don’t pay attention to the food stores in their Bee hives. We may have to feed our bees soon.

Winter time inspection

In the morning as temperatures rise about 60 degrees I plan on doing a short hive inspection. What I’m looking for is first and foremost, are they alive. Then I will check their food stores and numbers. This time of year honey bees need to be healthy and strong. It is usually bitter sweet for me because sometimes I’m successful and other times not so much. We feed our bees in the fall trying to help them prepare for the long cold months of winter ahead. Some beekeepers treat their bees with chemicals in the fall to hopefully get rid of pest.  I don’t, we have always let the bees take care of them self’s and we have also introduced genetics in our apiary that hopefully will fix this problem without chemicals.

In the morning I will have my fingers crossed that all is well and the bees are smiling at me. I will have food in hand so to give them a little boost. No smoke will be needed as the bees will be in a good mood to see me. Most of our hives are very good nature and are usually glad to see me.

Bad day

Today a friend of mine called and told me he had already lost half of his bees, this is all too familiar. Last year I lost 28 hives in one winter, that’s 75% of my total apiary. This just about put me out of business. Every beekeeper tries their best to take good care of their bees but sometimes I think Mother Nature has different plans for us. Dead bees and empty hives.

Every year we get inspected by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture to insure our bees are healthy and safe for sale to other beekeepers, last year was no different. So when January 2013 rolled around my losses were so big we called our local honey bee inspector for some helpful advice. What we found that week was a possible varoa mite infestation. I don’t like using any chemicals in my hives because my own children eat this honey and we won’t to keep them safe as well. So as we when into 2013 season we tried to be diligent and take the best care of our bees we can.

Honey Bees in the Winter

Yesterday I was looking across the field at some of our bee hives, and thought wonder how they are doing today. Honey Bees work all spring and summer collecting nectar and pollen to feed the hive through the winter months. When it gets colder than about 45 degrees the honey bees cluster together inside the hive. They usually cluster near or on honey; the queen is near the center so they can keep her warm by vibrating or shaking their bodies. The worker bees rotate from inside the cluster to the outside and repeat.

The bees stay in this cluster all winter until there is a day where temperatures rise above 45 degrees. On these days the honey bees take what is called “cleansing flights” or using the restroom. While the days grow colder the honey bees will have all they need in the hive. The honey is both a food and hydrating substance needed for survival. They use each other to keep warm. Once the days get warmer their lives start all over getting ready for the next winter.