Beehives Die During Winter
Winter beehive loss is a reality for most beekeepers who live in regions that experience cold weather. It is especially upsetting to feel that you have done everything right – yet you still experience dead hives. In this article, I will share some of the most common reasons beehives die in the Winter. Not all of these losses can be prevented but you will learn some tips to help you reduce Winter losses.
A healthy beehive with good honey stores should be capable of maintaining the colony until Spring. An important part of good hive management is making sure you have done your part to get them ready before cold weather arrives. Yet, even that is no guarantee.
Understanding Winter Hive Loss
A big part of successful beekeeping is learning all the most basic facts about honey bees. Failure to understand bee basics makes it very difficult to help your colonies.
There is also the reality that we don’t control nature or bees. When your bees die over Winter, it can be helpful to understand why it happened? Perhaps you can prevent that cause from happening next year.
Common Reasons for Winter Hive Failure
- extreme cold temps
- small bee population – queen issues, poor health
- starvation of the colony – lack of adequate food
- condensation inside the bee hive – not enough ventilation
Extreme Winter Cold
In regions with long Winters and frigid temperatures, beekeepers must learn how to winterize their beehives properly for their environment.
A healthy colony with a good population of workers and enough food can ride out the cold months. But, extreme cold temperatures play a role in the death of some Winter beehives.
Honey bees are insects (cold-blooded insects). If their body temperature drops too low they become sluggish and unable to move to new areas of food in the hive.
If your area experienced an extremely cold season, you may find more dead honeybee colonies than would be expected in a normal year.
Winter Dead-outs – Small Colony Size
Honey bees survive Winter by forming a cluster of bees inside the hive. They consume food and generate enough heat to keep body temperatures at a sustainable level.
A colony with a very small population, faces the risk of the not being able to generate enough heat to survive those cold days and nights.
During extreme cold snaps, some of the bees on the outermost shell of the bee cluster may die. If another cold snap arrives right away, the colony is now trying to survive with fewer bees than it had before.
When this happens repeatedly, it takes a toll on the population – and may result in the Winter death of small beehives.
Starvation – Due to Lack of Accessible Food
More beehives die during Winter from starvation than any other cause. In most cases, the bees did not have enough honey stored to last until Spring.
But, a honey bee colony can starve to death with boxes of honey on the hive! Normally, the outer edge of the cluster stays in contact with cells of stored honey. Throughout the cold months, the cluster slowly moves a bit to remain in contact with food.
A larger cluster (bigger population) has the energy (heat) to move at cooler temperatures than a small cluster. If a prolonged cold wave prevents the bees from moving to food, they become unable to generate heat and freeze.
Even though they did succumb to the cold, it is a lack of food that caused their deaths. So starvation is the culprit.
They will starve in place on the comb – usually with their heads stuck in the cells. Yes, your bees can die with a full box of honey on top-but just out of reach.
Condensation Kills Beehives
Too much moisture inside the Winter beehive is a serious problem. In truth, some regions of the country have more problems with hive condensation than others.
Where does this excess water come from? A cluster of live bees, eating honey and generating heat, gives off moisture. The warm moisture rises to the top of the hive.
If the temperature is very cold outside, moisture can condensate on the underside of the hive top. This causes water to drip down on the bees. Most of the time bees can cope with cold temperatures. But wet, cold bees are dead bees.
Some beekeepers use quilt boxes for their beehives and other strategies to absorb excessive internal hive moisture. I don’t normally do that in my area. However, it may be something to consider for your hives if you live in a damp or very cold region.
Preventing Winter Hive Loss
We can not control all aspects of beekeeping. But, here are some tips to help reduce winter beehive losses in your apiary.
This is where I rely on my beekeeping journal and notebook. I may not remember what I did in each hive for Winter prep-but my notes will remind me.
- control varroa mites numbers – keep colonies healthy
- evaluate brood patterns in early Fall – replace sub-par queens
- combine colonies with very small populations before Winter
- ensure that the hives are well stocked with food
- wrap hives if needed for your climate but remember ventilation
Monitor Varroa Mites
Throughout the season – and certainly well before Winter – perform testing – varroa mite counts and treat your hives if needed.
Colonies with high levels of mites have adult bees that are not healthy and live shorter lives. If your colony population is very small, you need to know why. Some breeds of honey bees naturally have a small winter population but pests and other issues are often the cause.
Evaluate Brood Patterns – Requeen if Needed
If the queen is not laying a good pattern in late Summer, it may be time to consider requeening the hive. (Assuming you are not in a nectar dearth – when even a good queen will slow down egg production.)
You need a good queen in the hive to be ready for increased egg laying in late Winter/early Spring. A failing queen may not be able to rear enough young to replace adults that are dying off – colony population will plummet.
Take Your Losses in the Fall – Combine Hives
If you have a couple of colonies that are very low in population (but healthy) – consider combining the two beeshives into one. It will have a better chance of Winter survival.
Monitor Food Stores
In addition to proper Fall feeding for your hives, peek inside to check food stores in mid – late Winter. While this is not ideal – it is better than losing Winter hives due to starvation.
Feeding bees in winter is more difficult- but it can be done. The beekeeper may make candy boards for the hive or employ other ways of feeding such as sugar cakes.
To Wrap or Not
You may decide to wrap your hive to provide a bit of extra insulation. But, not all beekeepers need to wrap up hives during Winter.
If you live in an area that benefits from hive wrapping, (check with your local beekeeping association) be sure to allow for good hive ventilation.
Even a Popsicle stick on the top box will raise the outer cover up just enough to allow air flow. Improper wrapping with no ventilation can cause winter hives to die from condensation.
FAQs
While there are no guarantees, good preparation in late Fall is a good start. Check for a sufficient population size, ample food stores, and signs of a healthy queen.
Bee genetics and colony health play a role in the cluster size needed to keep the colony alive during Winter. Climate is also a consideration as it affects how low the thermometer drops and the duration of cold. Each hive is different.
Yes, a beehive can starve even with honey left in the hive. If the cluster size (colony population) is very small – they may not be able to reach stored honey during prolonged cold spells, resulting in starvation.
Excess moisture can build up inside your beehive if adequate ventilation is lacking. Some beekeepers use quilt boxes or other strategies to absorb moisture.
If you experience repeated hive losses every year, something is wrong. While hive loss (especially Winter losses) is common – your bees should not die each year. You need to find a mentor or local beekeeper to help you evaluate your hive management practices.
Final Thoughts
A healthy colony of honey bees with ample food stores should live from one season to the next. But, in recent years, the percentage of honey bee colonies lost over Winter has grown. Our colonies are struggling to deal environmental issues, as well as, new bee pests and disease.
Still, if your honey bee hives die every Winter – something is wrong. Find a local beekeeping club or mentor to help you assess the problem. You should not lose all your bees every year.
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