Wintering bees in a cold room: when to clean the hives, preparation and tips

With the onset of cold weather, beekeepers need to take care of bee hives. In mild, warm winters, you can leave insect houses outside. Low average daily temperatures, strong winds and high humidity force the owner to equip a winter hut for the wards. Knowing the nuances of wintering bees in a cold room will save families of striped workers without loss.

What is wintering

Wild bees after the end of the honey harvest begin to prepare for the cold. They drive the drones out of the nest, store honey and bee bread, seal the gaps with wax and propolis.Young and some mature individuals remain overwintering. The main task of the bee colony in winter is to save the queen. Domestic bees act similarly, only thoroughbred insects are less adapted to survive in winter conditions, and they need human help.

Bees do not hibernate for the winter, they huddle into a dense ball (temperature inside +35 °C), lose their mobility and use much less food. Insects increase in size, stop excreting feces.

The density of the lump depends on the ambient temperature - the lower it is, the denser the lump. The individuals inside do not sleep, they actively move, keeping warm, and periodically change places, allowing the insects of the outer layer to warm themselves.

Several conditions are necessary for normal wintering of insects:

1. No excess moisture. Her bees tolerate worse than cold, mold may appear in the hive. The honey begins to ferment and the striped hivewomen begin to starve.
2. Ventilation in the room. It does not allow dampness to accumulate, the bees do not suffer from lack of air.
3. Silence and no bright light. Noise and bright lighting destroy the bee colony.
4. Enough food. During the winter, a bee ball eats up to 25 kilograms of honey and 4.5-5 kilograms of perga.
5. Protection against rodents.

Check how the bees rarely overwinter, after 1.5-2 months of wintering, so as not to disturb the insects. This is done with a rubber tube or a phonendoscope. Through the entrance they listen to the noises in the hive. The presence of a calm, even noise is a sign of the good condition of the bee colony. Weak, intermittent, quiet, with a plaintive buzz of individual insects - a sign of lack of nutrition.A booming and angry sound, a sign that rodents have climbed into the hive.

Preparing for winter season

It starts long before the onset of cold weather. At the end of August, you should inspect the hives, the bee colony and the condition of the uterus. Take into account the number of worker bees and brood, the age of the queen.

Nest assembly

If necessary, unite weak families. Bees are treated with "Bipin" from the tick. Remove old cells. When the weather is good, the insects fly around as late as possible to empty their intestines. Check the quantity and quality of food. Hives are insulated if wintering of insects is planned on the street.

Forage harvesting

Choose light varieties of honey containing a minimum of honeydew. For an average bee family, 8-9 sealed frames of honey and 4-5 kilograms of pollen are enough for the winter.

The letok should be in the center of the nest. Frames with food are placed perpendicular to the entrance. Distinguish:

• one-sided assembly - 1 frame contains 3 kilograms of honey, 2 - 1.5, 3.4.5 - 2 kilograms, 6 - 2.5 kilograms, then - 3 each;
• double-sided - on both sides of the notch place frames with 2 kilograms, at the walls of the hive on both sides - 3 kilograms, medium frames - 2.5 kilograms;
• beard - rarely used, when saving feed, put frames with 2.5 kilograms of honey in the center, then 2 kilograms, then the fullness of the frames is further reduced.

If there is not enough food, the insects will have to be supplemented with sugar syrup or candi (a mixture of honey, water and powdered sugar).

Ensuring peace

There should be no windows in the beehive shed, they are covered with sheets of foam or polystyrene. Mount a red lamp for lighting. The room must be soundproofed.

Hives are installed in rows, in 2-3 tiers, the bottom row is 35-40 centimeters from the floor. The floors in the barn are insulated with sand, straw mats or foliage. Weak families are placed on the upper tier.

Important: you can not put them close to the walls, it must be at least 10 centimeters away.

For ventilation open the lower and upper entrances. They protect against rodents with mousetraps and barrier bars on the beehives. Enter the room quietly so as not to disturb the bee colonies.

When to clean the bees?

Bees are brought into the room at a stable sub-zero temperature. Depending on the region, this is done from mid-November to early December.

How to keep bees in winter

It depends on weather conditions. The beehives are left outdoors, a canopy is built for them to protect them from the wind, they are placed in a garage, in a barn, in an attic or in a cool, dry basement.

On the loose

In the apiary, bee houses are left during mild snowy winters. The sides and roof of the hives are sheathed with polystyrene foam or polystyrene so that the insects do not freeze. Snow on the roof of the house provides additional insulation.

It is necessary to save insects from noise, place the hives away from residential buildings, busy roads. Insects during such wintering should be protected from rodents and tits. The hive is tilted forward so that the precipitation flows down without falling into the notch.

In the winter hut

Often a separate room is built for bees, but families can also be accommodated in the house, in a vacated and insulated attic. The conditions of detention and accommodation are exactly the same as in the barn. Insects need to provide darkness, silence and good ventilation in the absence of drafts.

Bees are adapted to survive the winter with minimal losses. Only sick and old insects die. If the beekeeper has done everything right since autumn, has taken care of his honey farm, in spring he will receive strong families and high productivity of striped workers.

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