The first real cold is now spreading across the midwest and heading for
the northeast.  Some thoughts on fall/winter management for your
consideration:
 
 
1.  Almost all empty comb should now be removed from ABOVE the cluster.
 Empty space is a heavy drain on the bees, as they have to heat this space.
 This increases honey consumption and winter losses.  Any supers left on the
hives should be mostly full of honey or syrup. Full supers act as a heat bank
for the bees. They have to keep it warm, but it also helps keep them warm.
 
    Some who removed supers early for Apistan treatment, and/or syrup feeding
are finding bees hanging out a lot.  This is not unusual, since a lot of bees
cannot fit into a congested brood nest.  If they have any late honey flow,
this increases the effect, as the bees have the nectar to dry out, and they
go on outside to let the few "fanners" have a good airflow.
 
    If you feel they need space, place a box of comb UNDER the brood nest for
a couple weeks or a month.  Since heat rises, boxes underneath do not drain
heat from the cluster, but they do provide space for the bees.  I wouldn't
leave it there all winter, as it is an open invitation to mice.
 
2.  Hives should now be SOLID.  Grab the handhold at the rear and heft the
back.  If it doesn't feel *anchored* to the ground, they need feed.  It is
getting late for syrup, in the north, but dry sugar can be fed anytime.
 There is a lot of info on winter stores/feeding.  I'll just note the need to
be aware.
 
3.  Be wary of excluders.  If you have a big cluster and ONLY one shallow
super above an excluder, AND winters are not too severe where you are at,
you'll probably be okay, as only part of the cluster will ever go above the
excluder, leaving a good part below to keep the queen.  But many hives are
lost, because excluders are left on hives with two or three supers; the
cluster moves on up, during the winter, leaving the queen below the exluder
to freeze or starve. (I've done this myself; I shamefully admit!)
 
4.  CULL the junk!     If it looks pretty iffy whether the hive will survive
the winter, it probably won't; at least it's not worth the risk.  It is easy
to make up more bees come spring, and you will be preserving your best stock
(Selective Breeding).  Hives that have very much chalkbrood, or look poor,
greasy, smell sour, have greasy, dark cappings on capped brood, have a lot of
pupae that are not capped (bald brood), or just will not take syrup feeding,
are good candidates for elimination.  Kill the queen, and combine with a good
colony.  Do not combine two junk hives, as they still have the same problems.
 
     Some will argue with me on this, saying that they could probably get the
hive through the winter by lots of care and feeding.  I say, if it is junk
now, it will be junk in the spring, even if it does survive.  If you feed a
junk hive now, it probably will die, and waste the feed you gave it.  But, if
it doesn't, you will still be nursing it come spring, and will still not have
a quality hive.  It might even make a bunch of low quality drones to mate
with your good stock.  Now is a good time to get rid of it!
 
     It doesn't matter whether the problem is a failing queen, or genetic
weakness to stress diseases; you have solved it, if you cull now.  A good
flow, in season, will heal, or appear to heal, a lot of problems, but no
problem will heal over winter.
 
     ONE EXCEPTION TO ABOVE:  If your weak hive has American Foulbrood, burn
it. Do not contaminate good bees by combining it.
 
5.  Make sure your bees have protection from cold winds.  The best spots for
winter have sunshine, but good air drainage, and a good windbreak to the
northwest.  Bees that are exposed to cold winds can burn up a lot of honey in
a hurry, and they will, at least be weakened, if not killed by the effort to
keep warm.
 
    The subject of wrapping/not wrapping is extensively debated.  I'll leave
that issue to others.  But be sure to have some kind of top vent.  On cold
nights, frost will form on the bottom of the cover.  Then as it warms, it
will drip onto the bees.  They must have a way to get rid of the moisture.
 There are lots of ways to do this.  The simplest I have ever seen, is to
place a bottle cap under one corner of the inner cover.
 
6.  Protect the bees from MICE.  In cold weather, they will not drive out
mice, who find it a convenient, warm place to overwinter, nest, and destroy a
lot of comb below the cluster.
 
   There are many ways to do it.  Keep the weeds cleared from around the
hives, put out poison bait, reduce the entrances.  Wooden entrance reducers
are sometimes chewed.  Better entrance reducers can be made, if you tack on a
piece of metal flashing, which mice won't ususally chew.
 
    I'm sure others will want to add more tips. This is just a starter. And
I've focused on some things that are often missed.
 
    Happy wintering.  May your bees be hummin' next spring.
 
[log in to unmask]    Dave Green,  PO Box 1200,  Hemingway,  SC
29554        (Dave & Jan's Pollination Service,  Pot o'Gold Honey Co.)
 
Practical Pollination Home Page            Dave & Janice Green
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