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Entomology & Plant Pathology
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS 39762-9775

TEL: (662) 325-2085
FAX: (662) 325-8837

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Beekeeping Tips

  1. Fall Management

    As beekeepers begin preparing and evaluating their colonies for winter, it is important to review the factors and conditions that are important to colony survival. Successful wintering- depends primarily upon colony strength, adequate food stores, hive ventilation and colony health. Numerous colonies are lost each year because of poor management, starvation, weak colonies or other unexplained reasons.

    Colonies need sufficient room for stores and cluster formation. Normally, two to three hive bodies are required. Stores should consist of 50 to 60 pounds of honey and several frames containing pollen which is a necessity for early spring buildup. The distribution of the food in the hive is also important, since the cluster moves upward during the winter. Even if a colony is starving, it will not move down. Forty to forty-five pounds of food should be in the uppermost hive. body, with the center two or three frames being only one half to two-thirds full. This arrangement provides the bees with adequate space for cluster formation. If the uppermost hive body is honey bound, then the frames in the center should be exchanged with others from below that are only partially filled.

    All supers that are empty or only partly filled should be removed at the end of the fall honey flow. If queen excluders were not used, the lower hive bodies may be empty and they should also be removed. Colonies should not be wintered on foundation and all queen excluders should be removed.

    If stores are not sufficient, concentrated sugar syrup should be fed during September and October until there is the equivalent of nine full frames of honey not counting the cells containing pollen. The syrup is prepared by mixing white granulated sugar with hot water at a ratio of 2:1 by volume. Heat only until all of the sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Do not boil the syrup. Allow it to cool before giving it to the bees. Each gallon of syrup fed increases reserves by about seven pounds.

    The quality of the winter food is of considerable importance. Fruit juices and honeydew are not desirable winter foods since they contain large quantities of waste materials and may cause dysentery because the bees are unable to ripen the nectar due to cold weather. Aster honey also crystalizes very rapidly which prevents the bees from moving it into the clustering space. The feeding of syrup will help to improve or correct this situation. Feeding is normally done by inverting a jar or ten pound friction-top pail, with six-eight small holes in the lid, over the hole in the inner cover and protected by a super. Other ways include using a boardman or a division board feeder. However, the bees have to break their cluster in cold weather to take advantage of them.

    Vital to successful wintering is a large population of young bees that can live five-six months. Strong colonies with young queens are a must. Therefore, colonies need to be requeened periodically, preferably every other year. Young queens lay later into the fall and produce more eggs in early spring. Fall requeening should be done in September during the boneset, Spanish needle and golden rod flow; so the colony has time to build up.

    Only strong colonies should be overwintered. Weak colonies should be united with strong colonies in September so that they have time to arrange their brood nest and stores. Diseased colonies and weak ones that have suffered from pesticide poisoning should be destroyed since food stores may be contaminated. Weak colonies that successfully make it through the winter, build up slowly in the spring.

    Most colonies are wintered on summer stands, with reduced entrances, and no wrapping or packing. Place the entrance cleats in hives in early October to restrict the opening to about 3/8" x 4". The cleat should be nailed into place with the opening turned up rather than down, to reduce the chances of mice entering and entrances becoming clogged with dead bees. Hardware cloth (3 mesh to the inch) placed over the entrance will also prevent mice from entering the hive and destroying the combs.

    Colonies should be located so that there is good air drainage. A wind break, either natural or man-made, that will break the full force of wind is important, especially in late winter and early spring when brood rearing has started. Woodlots, evergreen hedges, buildings, and board fences offer such protection. The hive should face away from prevailing winds and storms. A southern exposure is most favorable, since it will allow the bees to go on defecating flights more often during the winter.