Overwintering is a hurdle for bees: how can we prevent deaths?

    Winter is a hurdle in the life of bees, and also a hurdle for beekeepers. If management is poor, large numbers of bees die and the losses are severe. Causes of bee deaths during overwintering and prevention methods:

Overwintering management of bees

    1. Starvation due to lack of feed.If enough sugar combs are not left before overwintering, or supplementary feeding is not given in time, the bees will ultimately starve in large numbers, or even the entire hive will die out, because of lack of feed and the combination of hunger and cold. Therefore, it is necessary to understand that bees have the ability to cluster to regulate body temperature during the low-temperature period in winter, and that they fear hunger but not cold, so an adequate feed supply must be ensured during the overwintering period.

    2. Being suffocated to death by overheating because the packing is too tight.When packing the hive, the inside and outside of the box are filled with insulation material, then wrapped with plastic film and tied with ropes, so the hive is wrapped tightly and is airtight. The temperature inside the hive is high and the humidity is great, and the bees are suffocated to death because of overheating and poor moisture and air venting. In the south, winter is short, and there are few days when the temperature during the severe cold period is below 0°C, so doing a good job of cold protection and insulation outside the hive is enough to ensure that the bees overwinter safely.

    3. Bees being killed by collision because the entrance is left too small.During the severe cold period, because the entrance is left too narrow or is closed tightly, and afterward little attention is paid to checking it, when sunny and warm weather occurs, the bees are eager to leave the hive to defecate and take test flights, and because they cannot get in or out, large numbers of bees are killed by collision. This phenomenon occurs from time to time among beginner beekeepers. Therefore, after this operation, inspection is very necessary.

    4. Being bitten to death by mice.The hive is easily gnawed through by mice, which then enter, and may even live together with the bees, eating honey and biting bees. When the packing of the hive is removed in warm spring, countless dead bees are found and the losses are severe. In particular, the house mouse, also called the rice mouse, is small in size and can directly enter through the hive entrance to bite and eat bees, causing great harm. Therefore, rodent damage must be prevented.

    5. Being "killed in battle" by robber bees.Chinese bees are robbed by Italian bees, and because they are outnumbered, they are ultimately defeated and die from excessive exhaustion.

    6. Bees that go out freezing to death.Just after snow when the sky first clears, the temperature is still below 0°C; as the saying goes, it is not cold when it snows, but cold when the snow melts. Because of strong light stimulation, phototactic bees leave the hive one after another to fly, and bees that fly far land on the snow surface and are unable to take off, so they freeze to death. Some bees, although they fly near the hive, are unable to return to the hive and freeze to death outside. Especially during the severe cold period, tiles or bricks can be used to block the hive entrance to prevent sunlight from shining in and attracting bees out of the hive.