Lesson 52: Getting Ready for Winter
Late-summer and fall jobs that decide whether a colony survives until spring
Most winter losses are decided before winter starts. Preparation should begin in late summer or early fall. (Your Seasonal Guide gives the dates for your area.) By then you want every colony to be strong, healthy, well fed, with a good queen and low mites. Lesson 14 explained how bees survive winter; this lesson is the checklist.
1. Control varroa mites (the most important job)
Colonies with high mite loads in the fall are much more likely to collapse over winter. Mites weaken the long-lived winter bees and spread viruses (lesson 54). Check mite levels in late summer and fall and treat if they're over the threshold (lessons 55–57), so the bees raised for winter are healthy.
2. Make sure they have enough food
Lack of food is one of the leading causes of winter death. - Heft the hive from the back. A colony ready for winter is heavy; a light one needs feeding (lesson 39). How much honey a colony needs depends on how long and cold your winter is: the Seasonal Guide gives the target for your area. - Feed heavy (2:1) syrup if stores are light, early enough for the bees to store it and cap it. - Leave the bees enough honey when you harvest. - Crowd the bees in late summer and fall. Unlike spring, give them only one or two honey supers, which pushes them to store honey in and around the brood nest, where the winter cluster can reach it.
3. Arrange the hive for winter
- Colonies usually winter in two brood boxes, or one brood box plus at least one honey super (lesson 17).
- Food should be above and beside the cluster (lesson 14).
- Remove the queen excluder. The cluster moves up through winter and can leave the queen stranded below it (lesson 49).
- Remove empty or extra supers the bees can't cover, and store them safely (lesson 65).
4. Check the queen
A colony needs a productive queen going into winter. Fix queen problems in late summer and early fall: a colony with a spotty brood pattern in early fall often doesn't survive winter (lesson 42). Some beekeepers requeen in early fall for a young queen (lesson 45).
5. Combine weak colonies
Weak colonies should be combined with stronger ones in late summer or early fall (lesson 47). Two weak colonies often both die; one combined colony usually survives. One university guide puts a colony of 25,000–30,000 bees as a good size for cold winters; very small colonies are unlikely to survive hard freezes, though they may make it where winters are mild.
6. Keep out mice and pests
- Put on an entrance reducer or mouse guard as nights turn cool. Mice move into hives in fall for warmth, and destroy comb (lesson 66).
- Keep colonies strong so they can defend against small hive beetles and wax moths (lessons 64–65).
7. Weatherproof the hive
- Tilt the hive slightly forward so water drains out the entrance (lesson 24).
- Shelter from wind, but keep some airflow so moisture doesn't build up inside. Damp is dangerous to a wintering colony. Some beekeepers add an upper ventilation hole or insulation under the lid in cold regions.
- Screened bottom boards: in cold areas some beekeepers close the screen for winter; in warm areas many leave it open all year (lesson 17).
- In very cold regions, some beekeepers wrap hives or add insulation.
- Strap or weigh down lids against winter winds.
8. Then leave them alone
Once winter sets in, disturb colonies as little as possible (lesson 14). Heft them now and then to check food, and look inside only briefly on mild days if you must.
Fall checklist
- [ ] Mites counted and treated if needed
- [ ] Hive is heavy; fed 2:1 if light
- [ ] One or two supers only; brood nest backfilled with honey
- [ ] Queen excluder removed; extra supers off and stored
- [ ] Good queen (solid brood); queen problems fixed
- [ ] Weak colonies combined
- [ ] Entrance reducer / mouse guard on
- [ ] Hive tilted forward, sheltered, ventilated, lid secured
What to remember
- Winter survival is decided in late summer and fall.
- Mites first: high fall mite loads = winter losses.
- Food: heft; feed 2:1 if light; crowd bees onto one or two supers.
- Remove the excluder, fix queen problems, combine weak colonies, mouse guards on, dry and ventilated.
Quick check
- What's the single most important fall job for winter survival?
- Why give bees fewer supers in fall, the opposite of spring?
- Why is a spotty brood pattern in early fall a concern?
Show answers
1. Controlling varroa mites so the winter bees are healthy. 2. It makes them store honey in and around the brood nest, where the winter cluster can reach it. 3. It points to a failing queen or poor health, and such colonies often don't survive winter.
Adapted from: UF/IFAS Extension, Overwintering Honey Bee Colonies in Northern Climates (ENY-161/IN1006); UGA Bee Program, Getting Started: Honey Bee Management, A Synopsis of Bee Management in Georgia and Honey Bee Disorders: Non-infectious Diseases and Pests; Delaplane, K. S., Honey Bees and Beekeeping (UGA Extension Bulletin 1045, rev. 2017); USDA Agricultural Research Service, When to Sample for Varroa Mites; Mississippi State University Extension, Beginning Beekeeping in Mississippi (P3594); Purdue Extension, Advanced Beekeeping (4-H-1059-W).
Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.