Bees VS Winter!

Hello, hello, dear reader!

In this blog post I will write how I prepared my bees for the winter that is already here.

I must write that i didn't extract any honey during this first year of beekeeping. My primary goal is to get them to go through the winter safe as possible and with as much food they can have.

So let's start!

1. Treatment

I've been checking for the Varroa every time I was opening my hives. In my country, infestation with the Varroa is big problem, therefore a couple of treatments must be done to suppress them.

In the beginning of the August I started with Formic acid, repeated that treatment 3 times, basically every 7 days for 21 days. After that bought strips with Thymol, Eucalyptus and some other organic ingredients (there are a bunch of brands to choose from, I decided to try some Turkish brand). I changed those strips two times, basically when bees chew most of them I put a fresh pair. 

At the beginning of the December weather was very cooperative so it was time to apply the Oxalic Acid as the last treatment of the year (or first, depending how you look on it). The reason for this late treatment is because there is no more brood in this time of year (in my region), that means that varroa that falls of will be the one from the winter bees, the bees that will be crucial to jump start the colony in the spring. 

I gotta write that all of those three treatments were effective and that I could see varroa on the bottom board(s). This doesn't mean that colonies will survive, that is up to them I did everything in my power to give them proper conditions for survival. Nature knows the best.

2. Food

Regarding food, I did feed them when they arrived on my property with sugar syrup, to give them power to build comb and expand as much as possible. After the main nectar flow there are a couple of smaller ones that we can expect, but nobody guarantees that it will be enough for the winter. There is sunflower flow, there is also honeydew and a bunch of weeds on meadows that are giving nectar in our area. I decided not to feed them anything for the winter, because all of the three hives had a >15kgs of honey in it, considering their size of the colonies, winter that is not very harsh(for now), it should be enough. Of course I will be prepared to check and add some feed in case conditions change.

Winter is still ongoing so I will keep you posted. :)

3. Reduce the number of the frames

I reduced number of frames in each of my colonies. This was done to prevent mold and increase "chimney" effect in the hive. It will allow warm moist air to escape through the roof and prevent disease in the hive. I removed two frames on all colonies and placed remaining frames in the middle. Frames with good amount of honey stores and pollen were put towards the middle and more poor frames towards the edge of hive.

4. Warming up your hives.

A couple of things were done to warm the hives.

- Put a lid on the screened bottom board to prevent moisture from entering through bottom too much.

- Reduced entrance

- Added a 2cm (3/4inch) styrofoam in the roof in order to conceal a warmth inside the hive.

- Added a  nylon over the brood chamber during the winter months, bees have propolised it pretty good and left a micro pores so that moisture can escape.

Final Words

This is what I done in 2023, will keep you posted with how my treatment and my methods have benefited or detrimented the bees for the next year. I am hoping that all three colonies will live to see next spring and to do what they do the best, keep all of us alive and well. 

Happy Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you good people.