Winter has arrived and now is the time when beekeepers should begin feeding their bees for winter.
Betterbee offers specially made winter patties (not pollen patties!) which you can feed to colonies for extra nourishment during this process.
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Fall Nectar Flow
At an autumn nectar flow, bees can easily consume enough nectar to supplement their winter stores – this is when many colonies produce enough honey for self-sufficiency until spring comes around.
My area’s primary nectar sources in the Fall include Basswood trees, Milkweed and Purple Star Thistle; however it may also produce nectar-rich wildflowers or even weeds; to find which plants are producing nectar is key to its production and when.
Once it gets cold you should switch from feeding your bees with sugar water feeders or hive top feeders to fondant. Fondant is a solid sugar paste that provides instantaneous sugar calories that can help them survive in case their honey stores run dry before the Spring Bee Flow arrives. Some beekeepers make their own fondant while you can purchase it from most grocery stores or beekeeping supply companies.
Liquid Feeding
Beekeepers typically utilize a 2:1 sugar water syrup in the fall to give their colonies a protein-rich food boost as they begin building comb and eating through natural honey stores. While this strategy can prevent honey stores from running out prior to natural spring pollen coming in and encourage brood rearing, liquid feeding should be monitored carefully as excessive use may lead to unwanted swarms later in the spring if bees don’t switch from eating the patties back into rearing brood instead.
Betterbee pollen patties provide emergency supplemental food supplies to their colonies during winter, providing carbohydrates (sugar) and proteins in pollen substitute form to stimulate brood production in queen bees. When placing them over clusters on warm days they should be removed once cluster sizes dwindle and the temperature turns colder.
Late Winter Feeding
If your colony has low populations and honey stores, feeding may be necessary to provide essential nutrition. Feed amounts will depend on factors like region and weather; generally speaking it’s wise to start feeding prior to natural pollen flow beginning. Usually the best time is one month before natural pollen flow begins in spring.
Liquid sugar syrup may not be ideal in winter as bees in their winter cluster may not break free to collect it from a feeder. Furthermore, this method tends to introduce moisture into the hive which may lead to mold, fungus and disease issues in your beehive.
Instead, many beekeepers utilize sugar cake, fondant or an internal pail feeder (such as Mountain Camp method). An alternative method would be winter patties containing mostly carbs with small amounts of protein added – these should be offered before winter temperatures get too cold to open the hive in December timeframe.
Winter Storage
Betterbee offers protein-rich winter patties (not to be confused with pollen patties). In areas of the country (like ours) where pollen levels don’t produce natural pollen sources, providing protein rich food may help your honeybees survive late Winter and early Spring.
Just place them over the hive cluster for easy use! They offer your colony additional nutrition until natural Spring pollen arrives at their hives.
Make and store winter fondant yourself! Just remember it’s important to prepare and store it correctly if you do so, otherwise the fondant could turn gooey and sticky, trapping bee legs in distressful positions and leading them to snap off, which can result in death as well as inviting in robbing bees into the hive – neither situation desirable for colonies! For optimal winter fondant storage practices:
