3/15/2011

Wintering Honeybees

The Biology and Management of Colonies in Winter

Here are some great article on wintering bees from CAPA (A Beekeeping Association): 

“The biology and management of wintering honey bees” article has some great information about wintering bees! It talks about bee clusters, how much honey and pollen to leave for winter, ways to vent excess moisture, etc. I recommend keeping it in your bee files for reference. 

Note: In Utah, it is not necessary (and can be detrimental) to wrap beehives or store them indoors. This is essential for cold areas like Canada or Minnesota, where temperatures stay below freezing for months at a time. It is not necessary in the West, where we have some warm winter days. On these warm days, bees need to leave the hive for a cleansing flight. 

Here are some hives that wintered with minimum winter preparation. These survived well. 


We have also tried hives insulated from the top for hives destined for California almond pollination.




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