If snow is too deep, they can't get out!

Preparing the Hives for Winter

Basic felt paper wrapping

No protection from the wind!

Wrapped hives often cause too much condensation.  

Homemade wraps and commercial products don't allow hives to vent.

It's October and that means time to start preparing the hives for the long, cold Pennsylvania winter. Most people think of the obvious cold weather in store for us, but the honey bees have several issues they confront this time of year.  

They will be isolated for several months, except for the occasional breaks in the weather when they can take their cleansing flights.  This amount of time traps them with any pests that might have accumulated.  It is extremely important to have treated the hives for varroa mites, medicate the bees with Fumigilin B for Noseema disease and make sure those mouse guards are in place prior to cold weather.  

For several weeks in October, I feed the hives ProSweet to help them build up their "honey" stores and insure they have plenty to eat.  I add the Fumigilin B to the ProSweet and treat for Noseema at the same time.

When it comes to warmth, the bees can usually handle temperatures down to zero degrees pretty well.  For colder temps and to protect from high winds, I usually wrap the hives with pieces of insulation and/or roofing felt paper.  This year, however, we have designed insulated hive wraps, made from a special material that waterproofs but is also breathable to eliminate any added condensation issues.  They will be available to purchase shortly.  Keep an eye out on our website or email me if you're interested and I'll contact you directly.    

Thanks, Captain 

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Say Hello, little girl!