Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Now examine the state of the woodwork and hive, and carry out the following tasks:
Clean the floors. If necessary, scrape them or replace them with new ones.
Check that the lids are sound. The tin should not be rusty or holed. Make sure the
lids fit well and won't blow off in wind. If necessary, strap them on.
Check that the boxes' woodwork is sound. It should have no holes or splits in it:
these will let in the rain and wasps. Swap any damaged boxes for sound ones.
Because the bees tend to cluster in the empty brood area, ensure these frames are
surrounded by frames of stores (both pollen and honey). These should be in the
bottom brood box. As the bees tend to move upwards during the winter, the upper
brood box should also have frames of stores, especially honey around the brood
frames. Any brood frames that still have brood can be placed up there.
The bees will begin to cluster as the temperature falls below 18°C (64°F). As the
temperature goes lower, more bees will cluster until, at around 13-14°C (55-57°F),
all the bees will be clustered. They cluster to ensure that the brood-nest temperature
remains at 34-35°C (93-95°F). If the temperature goes lower, they will tighten the
cluster; if it rises, the cluster will loosen. If the temperature drops dramatically, the bees
will cluster very tightly and will sometimes remain like this and not move. In this way
they can become divorced from their stores and will starve. It is a pitiful sight to open
up in the spring to find a cluster of dead bees just below the stores of honey.
Additional tasks for overwintering your bees
Any frames of comb you want to replace can be put at the sides of the boxes. In this way
they will at least be protected from wax moth. They can be removed, melted down and
replaced on your first spring inspection.
Top ventilation of the hive is beneficial for the bees, but not too much. One or two
corners of the lid propped up by a matchstick should be sufficient. This will enable
a throughflow of air and will prevent the build-up of condensation and moisture.
Remember that the bees are not trying to keep the hive warm - only the cluster itself
