Winter survival of honeybees is one of the most common topics of discussion I have with people curious about bees. With extremely cold temperatures hitting most of the East Coast, this issue has come up again and again.
A healthy full-size colony with an adequate supply of honey and a healthy queen can survive extreme temperatures. Adequate honey stores can range from 40 pounds in southern states to 90 pounds in northern states. For me, in the central part of the east coast in Maryland, it falls roughly between 60 and 70 pounds. If we are hit with extreme lows like we have had in the past couple of weeks, you need additional honey stores.
According to Mann Lake, a full ten-frame deep yields 80-90 pounds of honey, and a full ten-frame medium yields 65-75 pounds, so I need at least a medium box full of honey for my bees to survive.
I woke up this morning to one below zero and have friends in Massachusetts who were 23 below zero. That means the bees are ripping through their stored honey at a much faster rate than average. So, I am concerned as my hives going into winter weren’t as strong as I would like.
A large, healthy hive has a good solid brood pattern
At those low temperatures, very small populations can’t stay warm. Any marginal hives that you were hoping to get through the winter can’t produce the heat necessary for survival. But a large, healthy hive has the cluster numbers to maintain the necessary temperatures to survive.
When air temperatures hit 57°F, the honeybees start forming their cluster on a frame with some honey present. And when temperatures drop to 23°F or below, the bees on the inside of the cluster begin vibrating their wing muscles (fanning) to generate heat, which aids in bringing up the internal core temperature of the cluster. The outer shell of bees of the group are motionless, acting as insulation. The inner bees who are vibrating their wings continuously trade places with the outer bees so they can get warm. The whole process is like a swarm that leaves the hive to gather on a branch. The queen is in the center and the inner bees constantly trade places with the outer ones to maintain the temperature necessary for hive survival. The cluster is a device for protecting and insulating the queen from any harm.
To wrap or not wrap your hive
Does wrapping really help? There is controversy about wrapping/vs not wrapping. A wrapped hive just means a layer of black roofing felt is placed around it which takes advantage of solar gain on sunny days. Wrapping doesn’t do much to prevent heat loss but on a sunny day it can raise the temperature inside the hive a few crucial degrees. This could enable the cluster to move closer to honey stores and avoid starvation. Wrapping also helps seal out harsh winds. Although the bees seal up the joints between boxes with propolis, when you manipulate the hive bodies, this seal is broken.
I wrapped my hives in black roofing felt. The feeders were still on from a warm week prior to a cold snap.
When there is brood in the cluster, the bees maintain the center at around 90 to 95 degrees; without brood, the cluster core is closer to 70 degrees. The outside edges of the cluster are kept at around 41 degrees.
Some people cover the entire hive in foam board for insulation. Insulating can buffer a hive but can also lead to moisture buildup inside the hive which can rain down into the cluster on a sunny day, killing it. Some moisture is good inside a hive as humidity, which is lacking in winter, and needed by the cluster to stay healthy. But too much moisture is detrimental. I prefer a good windbreak near the hive of either shrubs and trees or a physical one like a building or something as simple as setting up plywood to lessen the wind force. And talking about wind, be sure to place something heavy on top of your inner cover to weigh it down.
The best scenario for extremely cold temperatures is snow insulation. Just like winter plants, snow insulates the ground and they have better survival rates than if there were simply bare soil.
The best instructions that I seen on wrapping/insulating your beehives is at How to Wrap a Bee Hive for Cold Winters.
For feeding bees in winter, go to my post Feeding Bees-Keeping Your Hives Alive! Directions are available for making candy fondant to add to your beehives for supplemental feeding during the winter.
4 Comments
Hello, i’m wondering with the surprisingly cold temps and concern about our bees having enough food, WHEN should we open the hive to check their food stores at this point? I’ve got a weak hive stacked on a strong hive with a double screened board dividing them as well as feeding ekes with patties on them to supplement their honey stores….. however, i am concerned with the early and cold winter we’ve had in NW Montana that maybe my bees are needing me to intervene to add some fondant or patties to get them thru….. but i’m afraid to expose them to the cold by my opening up the hive. how cold is too cold to open the hive and whats the minimum temp you would suggest to be checking them and adding fondant, etc? Thanks so much!! :}
Hi, choose a windless, sunny day over 30 degrees to look to see where the cluster is. You can peer down the inner cover and maybe remove a box. But very quickly so you don’t chill the hive. If they are clustered on honey stores, you are good. If not you can get some fondant made up and if it is warmer, some reserved honey if you have some. Emergency feeding is sprinkling sugar right from the bag into the hive through the inner cover hole if your temps are too low to open up. For more information, I love this blog https://honeybeesuite.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-overwintering-success/. Good luck!!
Good write. Keep up the good work. I have been a team member working on a insulated hive to help bees survive winter and provide more comfort on hot days. https://www.hyperhyve.com
Had a colony that died but contains a few frames with honey that was treated with Apiguatd against Veroa. Planning to buy bees next spring, can I put those frames in the new hive or should I let the other hives robb them out?