Discussion on what a hive needs to winter successfully.

[sugarbush]

I want to put together a list of what a hive must have to winter successfully and then address how to assess and mitigate any deficiencies.

My basic list is as follows:

#1. A good queen. (one that isn't going to fail mid winter)
#2. Sufficient Stores
#3. Sufficient cluster
#4. Low mite load/viral load.
#5. Adequate protection against the elements vs. ventilation.

What else can we add?

 

[MartinL]

Stores,
Ventilation,
Health Queen,
Good Luck
.............................whatever!

 

[Chrisfnvs]

Protection from predators ie woodpeckers, badgers etc in the UK and maybe something a bit bigger in the USA !! Chris

 

[drstitson]

stores
bees
no disease

 

[Jimmys Mum]

Minimal 'unnecessary' interference from the beekeeper!

 

[MartinL]

Minimal 'unnecessary' interference from the beekeeper!

Couldn't have put it better myself.

 

[REDWOOD]

A queen can be health but not mated well and can be the demise of a colony .
A colony led by her own bees will winter better than one that's not
Strain of bee for climate

 

[pargyle]

According to Bill Bielby:

You can never have enough insulation and the most important aspect of successful over wintering of bees is to have the hive completely free of draughts.

 

[derekm]

Energy stored > heat loss rate x time to first foragers + energy to generate foragers

 

[sugarbush]

Protection from predators ie woodpeckers, badgers etc in the UK and maybe something a bit bigger in the USA !! Chris

I have that covered. 12 ga slug.

 

[irishguy]

According to Bill Bielby:

You can never have enough insulation and the most important aspect of successful over wintering of bees is to have the hive completely free of draughts.

Would building a shed cut the draughts out. I was thinking of building a makeshift shed out of pallets put my hives in it over the winter

 

[david fox]

Hi I hope that wasn't Yogi .

 

[david fox]

Hi Sugarbush I hope that wasn't Yogi.

 

[pargyle]

Would building a shed cut the draughts out. I was thinking of building a makeshift shed out of pallets put my hives in it over the winter

There are beekeepers who use a 'bee shed' but Bill Bielby didn't - he kept his hives on a trailer made out of an old caravan chassis and transported them to places with forage over the season. He overwintered them in the open in his home apiary. He was extremely active in the 1970's when matchsticks under the crown board (to provide a flow of ventilation through the hive in winter) was a predominant method. This practice has, largely, died out now.

I think what Bill was advocating was to NOT give bees a through draught in winter and to seal them up as much as possible, he was also an advocate of windbreaks ... Bill was a Yorkshireman so he knew about cold weather.

He used to tie all sorts of materials on the outside of the hives (bear in mind these were pre-Kingspan days) in order to insulate them in winter. If he were around now I would think he would be watching DerekM very closely ...

So ... I would imagine that a bee shed, unless your site is very exposed, is probably more a luxury for you rather than the bees ... Having seen your previous posts I would stick with using the pallets just as a windbreak - ideal really !

 

[yeogi75]

Hi Sugarbush I hope that wasn't Yogi.

no im still here

 

[yeogi75]

if in the winter the bees are in a wind swept area,ie because all the leaves have gone from the hedges around or on hill, you could use three pallets and shove sticks between slats just to break the force of wind power, also a bit of netting across front if you have problems with badgers or other animals.

 

[sugarbush]

Hi Sugarbush I hope that wasn't Yogi.

Nah... her name is Sally. Her fur is currently insulating the top of one of my hives. She is also good eats. Made some sloppy joe out of her.

There is a guy locally here who has experimented wintering hives in calf huts with pretty good success. A calf hut costs quite a bit however. I push all my hives together in the winter, they break wind for each other.

 

[Michael Palmer]

According to Bill Bielby:

You can never have enough insulation and the most important aspect of successful over wintering of bees is to have the hive completely free of draughts.

Perhaps Bill Bielby read the ABC of Bee Culture.

“If you will examine the bees at the approach of frosty weather, you will see, from the way in which they draw up and condense, how their combs need to be proportioned. To have them stand the rigors of severe winter weather, they should fill their hives as nearly as possible, and there should be no cold, unfilled spaces, either at the ends or underneath the cluster. If their hive is so full that bees are standing in the doorway, even during severe cold weather, we need have little fear of their suffering.”
Root, A. I., ABC of Bee Culture, 1891, A. I. Root Co., p. 204-205

 

[pargyle]

...they break wind for each other.

Oh no ... JBM Will be along in a moment or two ...

 

[Michael Palmer]

Wintering as many colonies as I do, in various sizes, I found that the success of a wintering cluster isn't just about size. It's about how that cluster adapts, or fits itself to their cavity...similarly to what Root said.

So to me, successful wintering is about the cluster being predominantly young healthy bees, adapted to the size of their cavity, with enough feed, in the comb and in contact with that cluster. Here in Vermont, I would add an upper entrance of some size to allow for proper venting of excess moisture.