You wake up one winter morning to find your whole hive in turmoil. In the space of just a few hours, the entire colony has descended into madness, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. They’ve all gone crazy, and you’re not sure what’s caused it. Suddenly, bees are gathering more bees, attacking others, and doing all kinds of strange things that you’ve never seen before. You call the experts, but they can’t help you. You’re on your own.
Something like this has happened before. The whole colony gets infected with Varroa mites, which lead to a colony collapse disorder (CCD). Your honey bees get sick and slowly die off. You lose 40% of your population, and you’re desperate for a solution.
If this sounds like you, then worry no more. You can fight back. With the right healthcare protocol, you can minimize the effects of CCD and make your honey bees healthier than ever before. We’re not talking about treating the symptoms here; we’re talking about fixing the underlying problem, and that means you need to put some prevention first. We want to help. Here are some of the best tips and advice on how to preserve the health of your honey bees when winter approaches.
Stock Up On Nectar
When bees are rearing new baby bees, they rely on stored food (honey) to get them through the winter. If they don’t have enough food to sustain them, they’ll struggle to make more honey, which means they’ll be weaker when the time comes to defend the hive from intruders. This is why it’s so important to make sure they have enough food to see them through the lean winter months. It also means that when you’re harvesting your honey, you need to make sure you have plenty of comb remaining to be stored for the winter.
If this is one of your regular food sources, then you can’t afford to be stingy when it comes to providing it. You need to ensure that there’s always enough available to feed the whole hive. This doesn’t mean you need to go overboard and overfeed them. Just make sure that they always have plenty of food around when they need it. It’s amazing how much honey a colony can produce when provided with constant food deliveries throughout the winter. When the time comes to feed them in the spring, you can split the difference and give them a small amount of honey plus some food sources that are rich in vitamins and minerals.
Protect Them From The Cold
Bees have a remarkable ability to adapt to their environment, but this also makes them highly susceptible to extremes in temperature. Just like humans, bees cannot regulate body temperature very well when exposed to extreme cold, and this can lead to death. When temperatures drop below freezing, your bees will try their best to keep their body temperature above freezing by fanning their wings and digging deeper snow shelters. As a beekeeper, you need to do everything you can to keep these tiny creatures alive and healthy, especially in the wintertime when they are most at risk of frostbite and hypothermia. This means you need to make sure they’re always protected from the cold, whether it’s an icy wind or a direct hit from a snowflake.
When temperatures start to drop in the winter months, it’s imperative that you provide your bees with adequate insulation from the cold. They won’t be comfortable in temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, so when the nightly low is well below that, you know your bees are feeling the cold. Warmth is vital, especially in the winter months when it gets dark earlier and later, and the days are shorter. Your bees will become sluggish and lose their appetite if they’re cold, so ensuring they stay warm is of the utmost importance. You can make use of the warmest pockets in your clothing and gear to keep them cozy. This way, when the moment of truth comes, you’ll be ready with a defense mechanism and not be caught off guard by an attack from the cold. Keep your bees healthy by insulating them from the elements and protecting them from the inside out.
Ventilation Is Just As Important
When bees are gathering nectar and storing it in their honeycomb, they build up a lot of heat, which they need to keep warm. This is why it’s important to ensure that they have plenty of room to move around in. If they don’t have enough air circulation, then they’ll quickly become sluggish and sickly.
Similarly, when bees are hibernating in the winter, it’s important that they have enough ventilation to keep fresh air moving around. This helps keep them healthy and prevents them from coming up with awful diseases due to stagnant air. If there’s nowhere for the warm air to go, then they’ll start experiencing health problems due to excessive CO2 levels as well. Keep your bees healthy by ensuring there’s always fresh air moving around their hive, whether they’re hibernating or buzzing around during the day.
Maintain A Healthy Colony
A healthy honey bee colony is one that has all of its members working together productively and is equipped with a healthy population of queen bees. It is usually in the best interest of the colony to be well-fed and well-looked after, so when the time comes for them to hibernate in the winter, they’ll have the energy to prepare for this. You can increase their winter survival chances by making sure they’re well-fed and have enough space to hibernate in.
An excellent diet is crucial, especially in the wintertime when it gets dark earlier and later, and the days are shorter. Ensure that they have pollen available in the wintertime, as this will help them produce more honey. You can also give them supplements of vitamins and minerals to make sure they develop strong immunity to fights infections and degenerative diseases. A healthy colony that gets sick less often is an efficient colony that produces more honey. This is why it’s important to take care of your bees from the moment they arrive at your hive in the spring. Make sure they have all of the necessary equipment and gear they need to flourish, and above all, make sure they have healthy queen bees to continue the colony’s legacy.