What are the key points for managing bee colonies in the cold season
As winter approaches and temperatures gradually drop, how to manage overwintering bee colonies well affects the colony's reproduction and honey yield the following year. During this period, beekeepers should pay attention to the following points:
I. Overwintering methods
According to surveys, the indoor placement method is currently the most commonly used. Before heavy snow, choose a cold morning to move the colonies indoors, placing one row against the wall on each side and one row in the middle, so that there are passages on both sides for easy management. Each row holds 4 to 5 layers, that is, four or five hives. The packaging room must be clean and free of odors, especially free of moldy, rotten or toxic gases; doors and windows must be intact, ventilation facilities good, and there must be no rat holes in the room. Another method is outdoor packaging: choose a place far from roads, vibration-causing construction and odors, with slightly higher, flat ground that does not accumulate water. First spread plastic sheeting, then place wheat straw or rice straw as a base, seal tightly around the back of the hives, fill the gaps between hives, and cover the hive lids with insulation material and reed mats.
II. Colony inspection ⟧7⟧Indoor-packaged colonies are easy to inspect. As long as there is no abnormal restless buzzing, do not move or open the hives to check; judging by ear is enough to confirm they are normal. Keep a thermometer indoors and maintain the temperature between 0°C and 5°C. If it is too high, open the windows to let air in and cool it down, reducing feed consumption; if too low, bees may freeze to death and drop from the hives. Doors and windows should be sealed tightly, strictly preventing sunlight from entering; only in complete darkness can they rest silently. Also watch for rats entering. Outdoor-packaged colonies have high activity levels because it is cold at night and warm during the day. They should be covered with straw curtains; on warm days, lift the curtains to let the bees defecate and fly freely; on cold days, block the hive entrance with window screen and cover it with straw curtains.
Indoor-wrapped bee colonies are easy to inspect; as long as there is no abnormal restless buzzing, they must not be moved or opened for inspection, and their condition can be judged as normal by listening. Keep a thermometer indoors, and maintain the air temperature between 0°C and 5°C; if it is too high, open the windows to ventilate and cool down to reduce feed consumption; if it is too low, the bees may freeze to death and drop from the cluster, so doors and windows should be sealed tightly, and sunlight must be strictly kept out; only in total darkness can they rest quietly. Also check whether any mice have gotten in. Outdoor-wrapped colonies are cold at night and hot by day and are highly active, so they should be covered with straw curtains; on warm days, lift them to let the bees defecate and take cleansing flights, and in cold weather block the hive entrance with window screening and cover it with straw curtains.
III. Dealing with frostbite and honey shortage
Gently tap the hive body with your hand; a buzzing sound indicates normal conditions. If there is no buzzing when tapped, immediately move it to a warm room to investigate the cause. For colonies short of honey, replace with stored honey combs, spray a little honey water onto the bees that have fallen to the bottom; after warming and reviving, they will eat the honey and crawl back onto the combs. Once fully recovered to normal, put them back in place.
In addition, note that colony feed should not be given too late, and the water content of the feed should not be too high. High water content easily causes indigestion in bees, leading to bloating, known as big-belly disease. When the hive temperature is too cold, feed is consumed quickly, and the probability of bees starving or freezing to death is high; they need to eat honey to generate warmth. At the same time, beekeepers should closely observe the condition of the bees; generally, cases of colonies starving or freezing to death are caused by delayed observation and handling.
Ren Fuzhen, Chengjitou Township Government, Xingtai County