Wintering bees: sleep or not, where they live on the street, how to save and what they eat

Winter is a rather important and responsible stage in beekeeping. If you do not properly prepare for the wintering of bees, you can suffer serious losses. However, many novice beekeepers make serious mistakes when caring for these insects. In order for the winter to pass easily and not end with the loss of bee colonies, it is important to properly insulate the hives and take care of quality nutrition.

How bees prepare for winter

Honey bees do not sleep in winter and do not go anywhere. During this period, they live a completely normal life. With the advent of autumn cold weather, the uterus stops laying eggs.At the same time, insects spend most of their time in their own nest. There they provide heat and sit almost motionless.

With the onset of autumn, the bees form a ball around the empty combs. If a warm sunny day comes, it breaks up, and the insects fly out for a short walk. It is needed to cleanse the intestines of insects. This greatly facilitates their wintering. After this procedure, the individuals go back to the hive.

What bees do in winter

A long evolutionary process has allowed bees to develop resistance to the climatic conditions of a particular area. This enables local breeds to successfully withstand the winter. Therefore, at the stage of preparing bee colonies for wintering, it is worth taking into account their characteristic features.

So, karnika bees easily withstand severe frosts and winds. During the winter they form small groups. Carpathian bees need to be united before winter.

At the apiary

In winter, domestic bees live outside, in insulated rooms or in alder forests. During this period, they do not hibernate. However, insects are not recommended to be disturbed. Bees become especially sensitive closer to spring. It is important to consider that insects do not sleep in the hive. Therefore, even a slight impact on them can provoke a flyby and lead to the death of the entire family.

Experienced beekeepers leave insects on the street. This allows you to get he althy individuals for the next year, which start flying early. However, in this case it is important to take into account the climate of the region. In the south, there is no special need for insulation. In the northern regions, the hives need to be insulated with high quality.

For this, the houses are sheathed from the inside with special materials - plastic, foam, foil.

Cotton or linen is used to insulate covers. In this case, you can not use a synthetic winterizer. Insects can become entangled in it, which will lead to their death.

Beehives are recommended to be stored on the south side of buildings. They are placed closer to each other. At the same time, 10-20 centimeters should be retreated from the wall. Lower combs are recommended to be removed to optimize living space.

In beekeeping, the protection of the apiary from strong winds is of great importance. For this, the hives should be fenced with slate or roofing material. It is recommended to cover the letki with shields. It's also important to keep snow out of the way.

To prevent the accumulation of condensate and the occurrence of mold in the lower part of the house, it is worth making 2-3 holes for ventilation. When wintering bees outside, it is important to take into account that the cost of food increases by several kilograms.

In nature

Wild bees live in forests. There they live in the hollows of trees, which are cylindrical in shape and are located inside the trunk.

The length of the nest reaches several meters. Insects hibernate in the upper part, which is well insulated. At the same time, they do not fall asleep for the winter. The function of the ventilation hole is performed by the notch, which is located below. Cells are sealed for food storage.

Basic methods of winter maintenance

Bees can winter in different ways. In this case, a number of features should be taken into account.

Wintering bees in the wild

In the southern regions, bees overwinter right in the apiary. In this case, the hives can not be brought into the room. Supporters of this type of wintering believe that a strong bee colony will be able to withstand the winter outside, and this will benefit it.Such individuals swarm less and are more productive.

The flyby takes place on the first sunny day a month before the standard dates. Thanks to the cleansing of feces, the bees begin to actively grow brood. As a result, by the time of the usual exhibition, the nests from the wintering house include 4-5 frames with brood. It takes 2-3 kilograms of honey to feed it, which is absorbed in the wild.

To implement this method, you need to do the following:

• Insulate the nest, place a store on the ceiling, put pillows and dry moss in it. Hives need to be placed on boxes 30-40 centimeters high. They should be filled with moss and dry leaves. The upper notch should be kept open so that there is an air flow.
• Provide quality food for insects.
• Have a lot of juveniles.
• Remove factors that may cause insect anxiety.

In a snowy winter, it is recommended to rake up the snow and sprinkle it on the hives from the back and sides to the very roof. From the front side, this is done to the middle. In severe frosts, the hives must be completely sprinkled with snow. This will help reduce the energy costs of individuals to maintain heat in the hive and reduce feed consumption. If there is little snow, you should use roofing felt, straw, synthetic insulation.

Wintering in the winter hut

Many beekeepers transfer hives to special winter houses for the winter. They are closed unheated rooms. This allows you not to depend on the weather, the presence of snow, temperature indicators and other factors. Usually the hives are placed in the winter hut in early November, when the average temperature drops below zero.

Stronger families are recommended to be placed on the lower racks. This should be done closer to the door. One of the hives should be placed on the scales to monitor the consumption of food during the winter.

In December and January it is recommended to visit the bees a maximum of 2-3 times a month. At this time there is a period of rest. It continues until the brood appears. Insects are quiet. At the same time, the monthly consumption of honey per bee colony is 750-900 grams. In February, insects become more active and need constant weekly monitoring.

During the inspection, it is important to monitor the state of subpestilence. This helps to identify negative signs of wintering in time, find the causes of problems and take action. At the end of February, insects need to start rearing, because they increase the temperature to +35 degrees and need more food.

When is top dressing needed?

Bees eat honey, powdered sugar, syrup, protein feed. Strong families prepare their own supplies. To keep the feed fresh, the cells with it are sealed. Before eating, bees mix honey with the secretion of special glands.

On average, insects eat 18-24 kilograms of honey. This amount is enough for one bee colony. Many factors influence food consumption - temperature, ventilation, humidity. The better the conditions, the less feed required.

Possible problems

To keep the bees in winter, it is important to provide them with favorable conditions. At the same time, beekeepers often face such problems:

• Food shortage. In order for insects to survive the winter normally, they need to be properly fed. It is important to use good quality food. For wintering, light varieties of honey are most suitable - for example, linden. The dark varieties crystallize quickly and therefore the bees cannot eat the food.
• Violation of ventilation. Insufficient ventilation leads to the fact that the nests become damp. Wet frames and mats provoke cooling of the nest. This results in increased feed consumption.
• The development of diseases. Initially, a sick family should not go for the winter, as the situation will worsen even more. The most common disease is varroatosis. Infected bees are restless, wear out, consume a lot of food and die.
• Weak families or lack of individuals. A weak bee colony will not be able to survive the winter. Only strong individuals are resistant to survival conditions. In addition, care for young individuals is of great importance. It is important to have at least 3 brood frames in the hive in autumn.

Wintering of bees is considered quite an important stage in their life. For it to be successful, it is important to provide the insects with suitable conditions and properly feed them.

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