Hey Beeks! 

Happy almost Thanksgiving from Grace and Moira.  Reminder, we will not have a meeting in November, but, we are planning a zoom meeting in early December.  Date, time, topics to be published later. 

This email is to give you a roadmap for the next two weeks.  We are including a checklist for preparing for cold weather and winter overall.  Remember that no two hives are the same.  You have to read what the bees are telling you and act accordingly.  You should already know what your hives have for resources and the health condition of the bees, as you have been inspecting and testing on a regular basis (hopefully).  That said, things change.  Last full inspection may be already behind you at this point.

Moira and I sat down and just brainstormed on thing we do and things others might need to do in different locations and came up with this list:

Check list for wintering

• Verify equipment is in good condition, tight-fitting, and no holes or gaps. If there are holes, close them with duct tape if necessary.
• Provide windbreak or wraps and insulation if deemed necessary.  More important if hives are exposed.  Not necessary if hives are shielded by structures like the house, garage, fence, or shed.
  • Hives may be wrapped after the last Varroa treat (OA).  The last treatment normally in the last week of November or the first week of December when hives are broodless.  Use tar paper, insulation, or bee cozy type wraps to do so.
  • Condensation happens when the moisture from the bee cluster hits a cold surface.  That is why insulation on the top helps. Add insulation between the outer and inner cover to prevent condensation from dripping down. This can be newspaper or insulation board or a quilt box.  Simple is good.  I use basically a daily newspaper.  If it gets damp, I change it out for a dry one.
  • Make sure the outer cover is weighted down or strapped.
• Put mouse guards on or use entrance reducers on the smallest opening. If in an area where mice are prevalent, use mouse guards.  In many places, the reducer is enough.
• Remove queen excluders if you haven’t already.
• Stop feeding liquid feed. With some feeders (jars), this could drip down on the bees due to changes in temperature and kill bees.  With other feeders, they just can’t use it due to the cold.
• Only feed bees if necessary. They don’t store emergency/solid food.
  • If bees don’t have sufficient stores, feed them when they appear in the vent of the inner cover (this means they worked up through the honey to the top)
  • Don’t feed bees with emergency food (winter patties or candy boards) unless they need it as that draws them to the top above their own stores.
• Check and clean the lower entrance periodically to ensure that it is not blocked by dead bees.  This could suffocate the colony.  Just poke a stick in there and keep it clear.
• If you can’t visit your bees and check on them frequently (i.e. they are not in your yard) then consider an upper entrance to prevent blocking of air by snow.
• When checking hives, check the space between the inner and outer cover for moisture (damp wood or mold).  If so, consider adding something to absorb the moisture, such as newspaper.
• Some inner covers have a notch for winter ventilation.  The notch goes in front and the outer cover is pulled forward to unblock it to provide upper ventilation.  Some are reversible and you can put the notch down for winter.  Others are not.  Another way to create a little bit of ventilation by putting a penny under the front corner of the inner cover.  Don’t allow a cross-flow by venting in the back of the hive!
• You can check the weight of your hives now to get a sense of the weight, so later, you can tell how much stores the bees have left.
• Be prepared to feed if necessary.  Plan ahead, as when you find a hive that needs food, you have to feed it immediately!  Bees can starve in a day.  Following are methods of emergency feeding:
  • Winter patties
  • Candy board
  • Fondant
  • Sugar bricks
  • Dry sugar on a square of newspaper (last choice)
• A shim is often helpful for winter feeding to allow a little extra space at the top.  It can be added on when needed to allow winter patties, fondant, or sugar bricks to fed.  Buy or make NOW!
• Pop the top on hives every couple of weeks to check that the bees are not at the top. Just peek in the vent hole.  If they are up there, feed them.

Winter management began in July and August with mite testing/treating, feeding, condensing of stores, removing undrawn foundation and manipulation of frames to set the bees up for success.  If you have prepared well, your bees have a good chance of wintering well and being ready to build up in Spring.  Once winter preps are done, start thinking about Spring.  At least one season ahead at all times.  Bee Ready!  –Grace and Moira