Honeybee_ Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - C. Marina Marchese [46]
The worker bees and remaining drones will form a tight cluster around their queen, which will keep her and the entire colony warm throughout the winter. Through a series of rotating movements, along with rapid wing vibrations, beginning from the inside of the cluster and working their way out, heat will be spread from the body of one tiny bee to the next. Through this process, the bees are capable of maintaining a constant temperature of 95°F inside the hive, even on the most frigid winter days. On days that are slightly warmer, the workers will crawl to the corners of frames and gently scrape open capped cells full of honey to eat. They will then carry some honey back to the cluster to feed the queen, the other worker bees, and even the few drones that have been allowed to overwinter. Some will have the unpleasant task of cleaning up after the queen and the drones. If any day happens to be 65°F or more, the worker bees will leave the hive to get a little exercise and go for quick cleansing flights. Worker bees born in the fall will overwinter inside the hive, and because their duties are light, they will live for a few months longer than their spring and summer siblings.
By the end of the summer, after the honey has been extracted from the hive, beekeepers can help their bees prepare for overwintering by feeding them with a winter sugar solution, properly ventilating the hive, and helping the colony guard against intruders. Feeding them sugar-water solution in the fall, while there is little nectar and pollen available, will help bees store up enough honey to last the winter. (A single colony of bees can consume up to two hundred pounds of stored honey over the course of a full year.) Many winter-related bee deaths are a direct result of winter starvation. In northern climates, such as where I am from, it is advisable to make sure your bees have a minimum of sixty pounds of honey stored in the frames. This honey is stored in the main two brood boxes, where it will be available to the honeybees throughout the winter. The ideal sugar solution for fall feeding is a ratio of one part sugar mixed with one part water. Bees can drink up to a gallon a day, so your feeder needs to be constantly refilled until the bees stop taking it. Feed your bees for as long as they sip the solution; they will stop when they have had enough or once they are clustering.
The fall is also the time to make any necessary repairs to the hive. Be sure to replace any damaged pieces, and make sure the cover still fits tightly, so the bees will be sheltered from rain and snow. During winter, moisture can get trapped inside your hive and create dampness. If possible, gently tilt your whole hive forward and set it at a slight angle so that rainwater or melted snow will drain out at the entrance. Some beekeepers take a wooden ice cream stick and place it between the hive bodies to create a little extra ventilation after the bees have begun to cluster. In extremely cold locations, some beekeepers swear by wrapping their hives for added insulation. Materials used for wrapping include roofing paper, cardboard, plastic tarps, or specially made colony quilts. Do not close off the entrance; bees still do need to exit and enter the hive when temperature permits. Many people ask me why I don’t bring the bees inside for the winter. The reason is that it would be confusing to the bees’ natural instincts, and there aren’t any flowers for them to forage on inside the house.
You can also modify the entrance reducer for the winter months. Turn it to the