Winter is arguably the hardest time of year for a colony of Honey bee . Unless you rule yourself in Florida and sure parts of California , where the wintertime is exceptionally inadequate ( or entirely non - existent ) , the domestic and wild Honey - bee hives in your neighborhood will be scrunch up down and doing their best to survive the cold . What ’s amelliferaphile(the name I ’ve coined for bee - buff ) to do ? Compiled for bothbeekeepersand non - apiculturist likewise , the pursue list will give you an idea of some easy steps you’re able to take to back your bee friends all wintertime .
1. Leave the Honey
Hands down , my favorite homesteading adage is , “ An oz. of bar is worth a Sudanese pound of cure . ” The best way to support winter Honey - bee survival is to give them everything they necessitate to get through it on their own . In other words , leave the honey on the hive !
An fair colony of bee manoeuvre into winter need about 40 to 60 pound of dear to survive in most region . My hives in North Carolina are able to come well with a number lower on that spectrum , but if you ’re far northwards , err on the side of caveat and lead an ample amount ( 60 - plus pounds ) of beloved in the hive .
2. Feed
Despite colony collapse disorder , the feared varroa destructor mite and a host of other Honey - bee ailments attacking our beloved colonies , the No . 1 killer of a hive in wintertime is famishment .
The rationality for this is multi - fold : Honey bees are n’t able-bodied to subsist and fly in temperatures below 55 degrees F , and there are n’t many flowers blossom in wintry regions even if they were able to go out and pasture . This is why honeybees put away so much honey for the winter . Honey bee crunch away on honey and pollen , which is crest and put in in their hexagonal cells , all through the winter . So why do they still famish ?
Sometimes , beekeepers get grabby and glean too muchhoney , not get out enough for the dependency ’s selection . ( This may be intentional or accidental . ) Other time , a prolonged frigid spell produce it hard for the winter cluster of bees to break away and get at the honey store nearby . The most heartrending losses are colonies that have died just inches from stored dear .
The solvent for beekeepers is to extend feed — preferably honey in its raw state — on fond winter day . A lovesome wintertime day is any day about 55 degree F. If there ’s no honey on mitt , make a buddy-buddy sugar syrup using organic refined white-hot shekels and feed it to the bees using a designate bird feeder purchased from a beekeeping supply catalog .
3. Plan Your Garden
Beekeepers and non - beekeeper likewise can use the winter time of year to design a garden full of nectar - fat plants that Honey bees can forage come spring . bribe your seeds early , and get a head start on planting . commencement seeds indoors so they ’re ready to go out just after your region ’s last - frost date . Zinnias , cosmos , bee balm , lavender , rosemary , Anethum graveolens , Echinacea , and many other flowers and herbaceous plant make fabulous bee food .
4. Don’t Spray!
Chances are great that if you ’re already read this , you bonk that home and garden pesticide ( a class that includes antifungal and herbicides ) are toxic to Honey bee , native pollinators , and all manner of healthy organisms that reside in and around your gardens and backyard . Even so , it take to be said : Put down the chemical substance spraysfor adept !
Just think about it : if it ’s meant to kill “ bad ” bugs in your garden , it will be fairly toxic to “ good ” bug , too . Pesticides do n’t discriminate . What ’s more , they construct up in your dirt , get on your nutrient , and terminate up on your shell , as well . Ew .
5. Winterize the Hive
Remember that sound out about curative being bar ? For those of you keep your own Honey - bee beehive , the best time to prepare for wintertime is in the fall . Considering you have the settlement ’s intellectual nourishment need covered , you ’ll want to winterise the strong-arm beehive itself to give your bees a peg up on the frigidity . Here are a few steps I take to winterise my apiary each year :
Let ’s face it , the bees want all the supporter they can get . Beekeepers andmelliferaphilesalike can take tiny steps in their own backyards ( quite literally ! ) to stomach our sweet pollinator friends . Whether you plant a few flowers or become a beekeeper next spring , do n’t discredit the bang-up encroachment that a single mortal can do to help and support our beloved bees .
