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Wintering bees worries and interests many novice beekeepers. Winter is a period that affects the well-being of the bee colony. For 3-4 months the family stays in a hive or any other shelter. That is why you need to approach wintering responsibly and prepare the place in advance, thinking through all the available nuances.
Features of the life of bees in winter
If we consider the characteristics of the life of bee colonies during wintering, it is worth noting the fact that insects do not hibernate. In addition, if in the summer they cannot survive without the queen, then in the winter they can do without her, but only after that the bees will emerge weakened. The hives can remain outside under a thick layer of snow, or the beekeeper can move them to a specially prepared and insulated room.
When the bees go to winter
In beekeeping, wintering occupies a special place, since with improper preparation there is a possibility of losing the entire colony. As a rule, insects are removed for wintering at the moment when the low temperature outside becomes stable. Dry weather is chosen for moving the hives. This is due to the fact that it is recommended to bring dry hives into the room.
In the Northern regions, insects begin to be prepared in the first half of November, for the Southern regions - several decades later. It is necessary to plan everything in such a way that after the individuals are transferred to the room for further wintering, insulation and preparation work is carried out as quickly as possible. It is not recommended to disturb insects with extraneous noise for too long.
Where do bees hibernate in winter?
In autumn, active insects go into dormant mode. In the last days before wintering, insects fly around only to empty their intestines. At such moments, the bees' body enlarges, as a result of which they can hold up to 40 mg of feces. Thanks to the production of special substances, the decomposition process stops.
During the winter months, bee colonies may be located:
- in specially created winter huts;
- in insulated rooms, in this case greenhouses, sheds, bathhouses or basements;
- on the street.
For each option, all conditions must be met to create peace.
What do bees do in winter?
In order to survive the winter, bees, in most cases, prepare themselves. It is not necessary to create greenhouse conditions for them to live.
During wintering, all the bees gather and form one large ball, in which they maintain the required temperature. All insects are constantly in this ball, in motion, during which those individuals that have already warmed up and stocked up with the necessary amount of food are pushed out of the center.
The movement increases if the temperature decreases. The club is constantly moving, as the insects not only keep warm, but also look for food. The heat can increase to +30°C inside and up to +15°C at the edges of the ball.
Do bees sleep in winter?
A distinctive feature of bees from other insects is the fact that they do not hibernate during the winter. During wintering, starting from the first half of November and ending in March, bees are in the hives, carrying out normal life activities - feeding, reacting to changes in the environment.
As a rule, insects prepare nutrients – nectar and pollen – for the winter in advance. As a result of the fact that metabolism is slow in winter, insects consume a small amount of food, while the intestines are not cleansed during the entire wintering period.
Can bees survive the winter without a queen?
In most cases, bees without a queen in winter undergo disintegration, as a result of which they subsequently cannot gather into a single ball to maintain the optimal temperature regime and simply die.In such situations, the family dies completely or partially.
It is important to consider that there are cases when insects completely ignore the death of their queen and continue normal life activities, and survive the spring well. In any case, if the queen dies during wintering, nothing can be done, all you can do is wait. Such insects emerge from wintering quite weakened and the best option is to unite with the family that has a queen.
How to keep bees in winter
To preserve bee colonies during wintering, you should follow the following recommendations:
- It is better for bees to winter in properly prepared premises. The temperature should be about +5°C, the humidity level should be up to 85%;
- protect the honeycombs from pests, as they cause significant harm - they gnaw the honeycombs and destroy insects;
- check the bees several times every month, identifying and eliminating any errors;
- if everything is prepared correctly, then the insects make a smooth, subtle noise; if the noise is strong, it is worth checking the temperature and the presence of rodents;
- The temperature in the room should be stable, but not too high, since in this case the bees will begin to consume large amounts of food, as a result of which the intestines become full, the bees begin to feel thirsty, fly out of the hives and die.
By adhering to these recommendations, you can save bee colonies without any problems.
Wintering bees in a polycarbonate greenhouse
Few people know that an ordinary greenhouse made of polycarbonate will be an excellent option for wintering bees. Greenhouses made of polycarbonate can perform a number of important functions:
- protect families from extraneous noise, which is the main irritant for bees;
- shelter from gusts of wind and sudden changes in temperature;
- help maintain the required level of humidity;
- increase the operational life of hives.
It is important to understand that in order to preserve the family, it is necessary to properly prepare a place for wintering. For example, on sunny days the greenhouse warms up more, as a result of which temperature changes cannot be avoided. In this case, it is recommended to cover the greenhouse with light-proof materials, and the inside can be insulated with foam plastic.
Features of wintering bees in a barn
In most cases, hives with bees are moved to barns for the winter. Initially, it is worth preparing the room and insulating the walls. A layer of sand, dry leaves, branches and straw is poured onto the floor. The wall where the hives are planned to be placed must be insulated and protected from strong gusts of wind. For this, boards or slate are used.
As a rule, hives with bees are placed in one row, placing them on the floor or on a flooring made of boards. If there are cracks in the walls, they need to be eliminated, which will prevent the penetration of sunlight and rodents. The entrances are covered with a dense mesh or cones. The most important thing is that the room is not only warm and dry, but also dark and quiet. The top of the bee houses is covered with spruce branches.
Wintering bees in huts
This method for wintering bees is chosen by those beekeepers who live in areas where large amounts of snow fall in winter. For the hut, you must choose a place located on a hill, and there should be no water leakage.
The preparation looks like this:
- The first step is to remove the top layer of soil.
- They install a flooring made of boards or logs, onto which the hives will be moved in the future.
- The hives are placed in 2 tiers.On the first tier there are 3 rows of hives, on the second - 2 rows.
- A hut is erected on top of the resulting pyramid using rafters, and then covered with straw.
Snow covers the hives, and the bees spend the winter in this form. It is not recommended to disturb families throughout the winter. In spring, it is necessary to expose the hives from their shelter as early as possible.
Wintering of bees in omshanik
In the autumn, many beekeepers prefer to move hives with bees for further wintering to specially prepared premises. In this case, you can use winter shelters or, as they are also called, omshaniks. As a rule, omshaniks are made from boards, logs, bricks or any other building materials. As insulation you can use:
- sand;
- clay;
- moss;
- straw;
- wood.
With the help of ventilation pipes, it is possible to provide air flows of fresh air, while maintaining the optimal temperature in the room.
Norwegian method of wintering bees: advantages and disadvantages
The Norwegian method of overwintering bees is to sweep insects onto foundation in early September. After the colonies have been transplanted, they begin to be actively fed, resulting in a rapid process of cell building.
The advantages of this method include the following points:
- since only clean honeycombs are used for wintering, the bees remain completely healthy;
- as a result of the absence of beebread, the brood will be grown at the moment when the beekeeper himself wants it.
Some beekeepers consider the fact that brood rearing begins much later than other bees as a disadvantage.But despite this, the growth of young insects occurs quite quickly.
Pros and cons of high-temperature wintering of bees
The essence of high-temperature wintering of bees is that for spare queens either cores hives are made of a special shape, in which insects will subsequently overwinter at room temperature. In this case, tunnels will emerge from the hives leading to the street. In addition, during wintering the insects will be fully provided with water.
Thus, if we consider the advantages of this method, one significant point can be noted - it is possible to raise an additional bee colony, using a spare queen for these purposes.
Since there are a small number of bees in the hive, and they are busy raising brood, they must be fed in the winter, otherwise the entire colony will die. Many beekeepers consider this point to be a significant drawback, but it must be taken into account that if the winter is unfavorable for many families, then there will already be a basis for restoring the apiary.
Possible causes of bee death in winter
During wintering, bees can die, which is influenced by a large number of factors. If you keep insects correctly, you can completely eliminate the death of bees in winter:
- weak bee colony;
- the appearance of rodents;
- the death of the hive queen leads to the disintegration of the ball, after which the bees cannot reassemble and freeze;
- the family has been exposed to the disease;
- lack of food;
- low temperature;
- high humidity levels cause the honey to sour, causing the bees to die of starvation.
To prevent diseases, beekeepers treat insects.It must be taken into account that the treatment must be carried out correctly, otherwise this will become another cause of death of bees.
Conclusion
Wintering bees is an important moment in the life of any beekeeper, which must be approached as responsibly as possible. If the wintering room is not prepared correctly, then there is a high probability that the bee colony will die from cold, hunger, or rodents that have entered the room.
