Winter can be a particularly trying time for honey bees. Without access to their stores of food, which have built up in their hive, they become starving.
One of the best ways to help your top bar hive survive winter is by feeding it correctly. Selecting an appropriate type of feed can make a major difference in how well your hive performs during this period.
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Feeding Options
Bees require a diverse diet to stay healthy and strong, including proteins, sugar, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
Emergency winter feed (or “feeding”) can help a colony get through the cold months when they don’t have enough honey stored. But this should only be used as a last resort.
One method is offering your bees a pollen substitute, such as Dadant & Sons’ Winter Patties. These treats are made from sugar supplemented with AP23 Pollen Substitute and Honey-B-Healthy, providing them with all of the nutrients they need to thrive.
Another option is providing liquid sugar syrups, such as a 2:1 honey-water mixture or pure cane or beet sugar water. These are easy to make and the bees store them in their honey for winter storage.
Other methods for providing supplemental sugars to bees include using a frame feeder, shallow tray or candy board. Although some of these require time in the kitchen, they can be beneficial for bees that have not built up much comb real estate during the fall months.
Hive Inspection
Hive inspection is an integral part of beekeeping. It helps you assess colony health, determine if the queen is still alive and laying eggs, and if your bees are prepared to build new brood cells or comb.
As a new beekeeper, it is wise to conduct an initial hive inspection within one week of setting up your hive. This will give the bees time to adjust and you an opportunity to learn about their habits and requirements.
When inspecting a hive, it’s important to inspect each frame that contains comb to see if it has been drawn and if there is any open brood inside. Furthermore, check for pests and diseases present in the hive.
Be sure to inspect the empty bars in the hive for space for bees to expand their cluster and that there isn’t running out. If it appears that there may be too little room, adjust the follower board by moving two empty bars backward.
Hive Maintenance
General hive maintenance includes periodic checks during the warm months to make sure your queen is laying eggs, workers are building up honey stores and the colony has enough room to expand. In wintertime, bees tend to cluster together and consume their stored honey in order to eliminate waste.
Maintaining a successful beehive requires both patience and expertise. Every hive and beekeeper has their own unique challenges, but with some helpful advice you can ensure your hives remain strong year after year.
A long straight-edge blade is an invaluable tool for inspecting your hive. It also works great for separating top bars, harvesting honey and cleaning up natural comb.
It is essential to remember that bees may become defensive if their hive is opened, so give them time to calm down and for any alarm pheromone to dissipate before smoking your top bars.
Maintaining your hive not only ensures the wellbeing of your bees, but it’s also about avoiding pests and diseases which could wreak havoc on both the hive, its property, and even nearby neighbors. By staying abreast of hive maintenance tasks, you reduce risks while complying with state regulations for beekeeping.
Hive Management
In addition to managing the hive during summer, beekeepers must also guarantee there is enough room for the bees to build new combs when honey flow comes to an end. Top bar hives can easily accomplish this using a follower board with a window so the beekeeper can check available space without disturbing the bees.
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