Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
be a long distance apart. As we saw in Chapter 8, moving hives is stressful to the bees
and so, after moving them, another inspection is warranted.
Your winter sites should be as sunny as possible - i.e. south or north facing, depending
on where you are. They should not be prone to flooding, should be protected from the
prevailing wind and not be in frost hollows. The sunnier the site the better because, the
more the bees can fly and 'un-cluster' themselves, the better their chances of survival.
Surviving the winter
Essentially, you prepare your colonies to survive the winter on two brood boxes. The
queen will soon cease laying and, during very cold weather, the colony will go into a
cluster formation to maintain brood temperature. Little if any foraging will be done, not
only because of the cold but also because, even on sunny days, there will be no nectar
sources. So, even if the bees fly to void themselves, they will collect no food.
In order that your colony will survive the winter, therefore, you should ensure the
following:
It has a laying queen.
There are sufficient reserves of bees. I suggest 15 frames of bees for cold winters
and at least 6 for mild ones. The more the better.
It has no diseases (see Chapter 10).
It was treated in the autumn for varroa as part of your treatment plan.
There are sufficient stores to take it through the winter. If not, feed the colony (see
below). Remember, stores include pollen.
The queen excluder has been removed (it can be stored in the lid).
There are two brood boxes for the bees. Some authorities believe that winter losses
are reduced if three boxes are available for the winter. I have had no problems with
two.
