Preparing for Winter

1 . What is the major overriding objective in colony management for the honey producer?

It is to achieve maximum colony populations in time for the major honey flow.

2 . What is the longest food dearth of the year in the Piedmont region of Georgia?

The food dearth lasts from June through March of the following year. There may be spots of nectar forage, including goldenrod and asters in the fall, but this is not always the case.

3 . What is one of the highest priorities for the beekeeper in the fall?

To make sure the colony has enough bees to form a winter cluster (to stay warm) and to have enough honey to survive until the next year’s honey flow. Frames of honey and pollen should be accessible from both sides and above the cluster

4 . Why is it important to position the brood nest below honey stores for the bee’s survival in winter?

The cluster of bees will move up, rarely down, during winter.

5 . What is the reason to have fewer boxes on your hive in the winter and to purposefully crowd bees?

It is easier for bees to heat the smaller space and to cluster over open cells to keep warm. This technique also helps to keep unwanted pests such as mice, wax moths and beetles from inhabiting the space.

6 . A well provisioned hive going into winter should weigh about how much?

This really depends on location and the size of the colony. Rule of thumb for the Piedmont region of Georgia is for every frame of bees and brood there should at least be a one frame of honey. It is always better for the bees to have too much honey than not enough.