Winterizing beehives is a simple method.
It might sound complicated and too tiring, but believe me, it’s quite straightforward.
At my Ninja Homestead, I started beekeeping slowly over time, and feel I just might know what I am talking about finally lol.
So, I thought of writing my own experiences and sharing them with all my friendly beekeepers out there.
If you’re wondering how to winterize beehives and what are the things to ensure your bees stay healthy, read on.
I’ll also tell you how you can provide proper food to your bees and care for their healthy growth during the colder months of the year.
Starting from my early days of beekeeping to the present day, I’ve followed some useful tips that I’m also sharing in this post.
So, let’s begin!
What temperature should I winterize my beehive?
As soon as the temperature is below 10 degrees Celcius, you need to start winterizing your bees.
It’s wonderful to know that bees start preparing for their winter from summer. They start storing excess honey to survive the colder months.
So, as a caring beekeeper, you also need to prepare right before winter. When you see the temperature falling from 15 degrees Celcius, you need to be alert.
Delaying this step can lead to severe issues and even the deterioration of their health.
Should you cover bee hives in winter?
Yes, it’s really important to cover bee hives in winter, which is known as winterizing beehives.
That’s because pollinators such as bees need more protection during winter to maintain their survival mechanisms. When they are living in man-made hives, the extreme weather change can make it difficult for them to survive.
Now, you must be wondering how bees have survived for centuries without any protection in the wild. That’s because natural bee homes are different from man-made hives or colonies.
Natural hives usually have more insulation, which can’t be compared to man-made hives.
How much honey should you leave in the hive for winter?
It can vary depending on multiple aspects such as the length of winter months, the number of bees in a hive, and their genetics.
But, as a general rule, 70-100 lbs of stored honey will suffice the need of your bees living in a hive. But, as I said, it can be more or less depending on these factors.
Suppose you live in a state like Arizona or Florida where winter weather is mild. Then, you may not need to winterize your bees at all or you may need a smaller amount of honey.
But, in a state where winter lasts for at least 5-6 months, the required amount of stored honey will be higher.
Do you leave honey supers on over winter?
Yes, it’s a practice for every concerned beekeeper to ensure the healthy life of the bees during winter.
The role of honey supers is to provide bees with sufficient food during the colder months. Bees need proper shelter and food in winter and it’s a must for keeping them protected.
What is the number 1 thing you need to do to ensure your bees survive winter?
While you need to keep your bee hives insulated in winter, it’s also important to ensure plenty of sunlight. This is the number 1 thing that you need to do to ensure your bees survive harsh winter. So, a balance of insulation and ventilation is required to keep your bees protected in winter.
You can place a windbreak in a way so that sunlight comes in but the wind can be covered. Shrubs or tree cavities also work well in protecting bee hives in winter.
You can use them or use bee cozy warps, tar papers, and other materials depending on the requirement.
Do honey bees need water in winter?
In winter, bees can survive with condensation that gets created by the humidity inside bee hives.
So, you don’t need to give any water to them inside their hives. Also, you need to avoid giving your bees sugar water in winter, which is a must in spring and fall.
When should you stop feeding bees for winter?
You need to stop feeding your bees when the temperature is below 10 degrees C.
Some beekeepers also stop feeding their bees as soon as nectar becomes available. This is the time when you’ll see bees stop flying, which means it’s time for winterizing beehives.
What is the 7/10 rule in beekeeping?
The 7/10 rule is very important in beekeeping, which recommends beekeepers replace 7 percent of bee colonies yearly.
It means that if you have 50 territories in total, you need to replace at least 3-4 colonies each year. The main purpose of this rule is to encourage more diversity.
How do I know if my bees have enough honey for winter?
As I’ve mentioned earlier, your bees need honey in winter according to their genetics, number, weather, climate, and other local conditions.
So, it can be really difficult to know how much honey you need to provide. But, you can follow the general rule of 70-100 lbs portion of honey.
If your bee colony is quite large and winter is longer in your climate, you may need to give more than 100 lbs of honey. You can consider providing 120-150 lbs of honey to the colony in such a case.
Else, most beekeepers follow the general rule mentioned above.
What happens if my bees don’t have enough honey for winter?
If your bees don’t have enough honey for winter, they won’t get energy and warmth.
As a result, it will be difficult for them to cluster and survive in their hives. Not providing honey to your domesticated bees in winter can even lead to the death of the colony.
How many supers do you leave on for winter?
It can depend on the number of bees in your colony and the length of winter in your geographical location.
But, generally, a large colony requires one large super that includes 8-10 frames. This is a general estimation, which can increase or decrease depending on these aspects.
Do you take the queen excluder off in winter?
Yes, it’s important to take the queen excluder off in winter from the hive.
That’s because, bees tend to cluster around their honey stores in the hives to stay warm in winter, which can make the queen excluder stranded. For this reason, removing the queen excluder is one of the common practices of veteran beekeepers.
Should I put a super under the brood box for the winter?
Though some beekeepers put supers under brood boxes in winter, placing them above is a better idea, in my opinion.
When you’re putting a super above in the box, the bees will be able to store food well. But, when putting it under, there are chances of the queen laying in the super, which can attract wax moths.
How late in the fall should you feed bees?
In the fall, it’s important to start feeding the bees with sugar water as soon as harvesting supers is done.
I’ll suggest you not delay this step if you want your bees to grow healthy. Else, there will be a survival issue for the entire colony.
What is the best winter feeding for bees?
Only stored honey is enough for bees in winter.
It’s the best food that you need to secure for your bees to live properly in their hives. If you delay feeding the bees, there can be survival issues as they won’t get sufficient energy to cluster.
What do beekeepers feed bees in winter?
Beekeepers usually feed their bees with honey in winter produced by themselves.
In winter, there is not only extreme cold but also chances of parasite attack. From their own honey, bees get proper nutrition to stay warm and fight parasites.
How many times a year do you harvest honey from a hive?
The general rule of harvesting honey is once a year or maybe twice a year if the production is huge.
The best time for harvesting honey is either early fall or late summer. If the production is higher, you may need to harvest much earlier than the usual harvest time.
Can I feed bees sugar water in winter?
No, I’ll recommend not feeding your bees sugar water in winter when you’re winterizing beehives as they don’t need it.
Honey is the only food that your bees need for survival in winter. You need to start giving your bees sugar water when you have harvested honey in the fall.
Do bees eat their own honey in winter?
Yes, bees do eat their own honey in winter. Worker bees are quite conscious about storing their staple food for winter, which is the honey they produce.
In large quantities, they store the honey so that the entire hive can survive. In winter, collecting nectar from flowers gets too difficult for them, which is the reason for this habit.
How many bees does it take to make a 12 oz jar of honey?
To make about one teaspoon of organic honey, you need twelve bees.
So, 12 oz is about 71 teaspoons and you need 12*71= 852 bees for that. To prepare one gallon of organic honey, you need to keep a colony of at least 9200 bees.
Do honey bees produce 7 pounds of honey for every 1 pound?
Yes, honey bees produce about 7 lbs of natural honey for each lb of beeswax.
The 7:1 ratio is common in all honey bees. You can calculate the amount of honey by following this formula.
Do beekeepers have a long life expectancy?
Yes, I’ve heard of it but unsure of the factual truth.
There has been hardly any research to prove any evidence related to this fact.
But, it’s been believed for centuries that hive air contains body healing properties, which helps beekeepers to live longer.
How do you insulate bees for winter?
Most of the time, I use quilt boxes to insulate the bee hives in my colony.
Sawdust or woodshavings are filled in these boxes to make the hives more insulated and protected from the wind. Insulation also helps protect bees from predators in winter.
Is white sugar bad for bees?
Absolutely not, white sugar is perfectly fine for providing bees.
In fact, other forms of sucrose aren’t preferred as they may deteriorate the health of honey bees. But, you need to avoid feeding your bees sugar in winter and during nectar flows.
How many winter patties per hive?
I think two winter patties are ideal for every hive.
But, what I do is that I make sure to remove the plastic from the paper. Also, I place it above the cluster of bees. But, if there’s a huge colony, you may need to increase the number of winter patties.
Conclusion
So, now that you know all about winterizing beehives, just go ahead!
Storing your honey supers is really important for winterizing, which you shouldn’t miss. And paying attention to the health of your bees from early fall is also essential.
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Homestead Lifestyle Board!!
