How you prepare your hives for winter depends on where you live, so some of the suggestions below may not apply to you. Nevertheless, the list may give you some ideas. Although the calendar still shows September, those long, dark, cold days of winter are just around the corner. It’s time to get busy.
- Remove empty supers. Make the space inside the hive commensurate with the size of the colony. If necessary, reduce the hive volume with follower boards, especially in a top-bar hive. A proper interior size is less drafty and less likely to harbor intruders.
- Check for a laying queen. You should see at least some brood in your hive. If you don’t, order a queen as soon as possible.
- Check for colony size and combine small ones. Come spring it is better to have one live colony than two dead ones.
- Check for honey stores. If your hives are too light, it’s time to start feeding with a vengeance.
- Assure that the honey frames are in the right place, that is, they should be on both sides of the cluster and above it in a Langstroth hive. Move frames around if necessary. In a top-bar hive, put the cluster at one end of the hive and put the honey frames next to the cluster on the other side. This way, the colony can move laterally in one direction to find food.
- Reduce hive entrances if you haven’t already. It’s time for mice and other small creatures to find a snug and warm overwintering place—one filled with honey is especially attractive.
- Remove weedy vegetation from the base of the hive. Vegetation is a convenient hiding place for creatures who may want to move into the hive and it can be used like an entrance ramp or stepladder.
- Use an inner cover under your outer cover for greater insulation.
- Put a slatted rack in your hive if you don’t already have one. The slatted rack adds space between the bottom of the cluster and the drafty hive opening.
- Put a wintergreen grease patty in each hive. Grease patties won’t control a large mite infestation, but they can slow the increase of mites during the winter months.
- If you live in a wet area, make sure your lids will keep out the rain. Make any needed repairs now.
- If wintertime moisture is a problem in your hives, add a quilt box above the brood boxes.
- Provide ventilation for your hives: air must be able to come in through the bottom and out through the top. I like to use a screened bottom board all winter long.
- If high winds are a problem you may consider adding a skirt around the base of your hive to reduce drafts. Although you want adequate ventilation, you don’t want a wind tunnel.
- If high winds are a problem, secure your lids with heavy stones or tie-downs.
- If high winds are a problem, you may want to shield upper ventilation holes from side winds.
- If high winds are a problem, consider providing a windbreak.
- If extreme cold is a problem, consider wrapping your hives with insulation or tar paper . . . but, again, don’t forget the ventilation.
- If winter flooding is a problem, move the hives to higher ground now while the weather is still dry.
Rusty
Hello Rusty. I am concerned about putting the hive quilt design on, that you have made. I am in Brier/Lynnwood area, above Seattle and thinking about the rain getting in the side holes of the quilt box all winter. We have about 8 hives all together, have telescoping peaked vented hive roofs with inner covers. I am sure you have it worked out but I cannot picture it. Do you have a picture of one of your hives complete with quilt box that is ready to set all winter? …….Judd
Judd,
I will take a picture and post it. But if you have vented telescoping covers, you shouldn’t need the vent holes in the quilt box. As long as the material in the quilt can dry out, it will work fine. My telescoping covers fit down over the vent holes partway, but there is enough air space between the telescoping cover and the quilt box for air to flow through. I’ve never had a moisture problem once I started to use these.
Usually, we don’t have driving sideways rain. On those occasions when we do, not much water goes in. Any rainwater that does get in is absorbed by the wood chips and soon dries out due to the cross ventilation.
Perfect. thank you..Judd
Hi,
Good list!
Living to the north of you in the Okanagan Valley of BC & being my first winter to prepare for I’m wondering what you would consider enough stores going in to winter. How much weight do you strive for to maximize your odds of bring hive through winter?
Dave
That is the unanswerable question. It depends on how big your hives are, what kind of bees you keep, your micro-climate, whether you wrap your colonies, etc. Were I live we don’t have a very cold winter, but it is long and wet. You may be similar, or you may be colder. In any case, I keep Carniolans which are known for over-wintering in small clusters. Fewer bees eat less than many bees. If you keep Italians, they require more stores.
I overwinter in ten-frame double deeps and strive for about 80 (36 kg) pounds of honey going into the winter. I can do it on less, but I don’t have to worry about them at 80 lbs of honey. Folks in colder climates often strive for 100 lbs (45 kg). But, like I said, there are many variables. I don’t actually weigh them either. Before winter I remove the upper box and estimate the weight. Then I just lift up the back end of the lower box to get an idea of the weight.
Yes, I realize I’m feeling the weight of box, brood, honey, and bees, but you develop a feel for it over the years. Basically, if all the frames are basically full of something (honey, pollen, brood) and hive is boiling over with bees, you’re good to go. If not, keep feeding until they won’t take any more, which will happen when the syrup reaches about 50 degrees F (10 C).
If during the winter your bees start accumulating just under the lid, start feeding sugar cakes or dry granulated sugar. You can keep them going this way if it becomes necessary.