Q & A

Public·9 members

November 18, 2020

How do you prepare your hives for winter?

HI, I'm a member. I would like to know how other beekeepers winterize their hive. Do you wrap with roofing paper? Insulate with foam and wrap the outside? I've had bees for years and I've lost some hives over the years and kept some through the winter. If you have any articles or youtube videos to watch, I'm open to all suggestions. My girls are healthy right now and I'd like to see them winter through. Gina Gulliford

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Phil Serafinas

19 nov 2020

Successful overwintering starts in August. First get varroa mites under control. Don't just treat but also measure the mite load after treatments. Requeen with a new queen. Young queens have a better chance of surviving a bad winter. A queen failure is a hive failure. Add a mouse guard on hive. Provide ample stores for your area. Provide cold fondant if necessary. Provide windbreaks or wrap the hive. I do not insulate the hive. I don't think it's effective. What good is insulation if you leave the front door open? As you can tell from my YouTube videos the inside hive temperature is around 30 degrees on very cold mornings. My bees have survived morning temperatures as low as -5 degrees. I have never lost an overwintered nuc (they all had new queens). I have lost one overwintered full size hive due to queen failure ( it was an old queen too). Below are some youtube videos from prior winters for your viewing pleasure.