Beekeepers should carefully prepare their bees for winter in the autumn. The size of the hive should directly depend on the strength of the bee colony. A weaker bee colony needs a narrower hive, and vice versa. The preliminary reduction of the hive, which is carried out during the inspection when all the honey has been extracted, is often insufficient.
During the main autumn inspection, the exact dimensions of the hive are calculated. Depending on the bee colony, it is necessary to leave the number of frames that the bees will completely fill. Moreover, the distance between the frames should be reduced from twelve to eight or nine millimeters.
When reducing the beehive, a certain scheme should be followed. Most often, beekeepers use and arrange the frames in the hive according to the “pyramid” principle. Frames with brood are placed in the center, and feed frames (starting with the smallest amount of feed in the frame) are placed on the sides. Depending on the strength of the bee colony, the number of frames in the hive for wintering will vary. For normal families, this number is usually 8-10 frames.
Insulating the Beehive
To better retain heat, it is necessary to fill the upper and lower gaps using wooden slats. They should have notches and fit snugly into the grooves of the hive walls. A quilt is placed on top of the frames, and then ceiling insulation (a pillow or straw mat). It is useful to put a couple of layers of newspaper between the quilt and the pillow, which will help increase thermal insulation and absorb moisture.
The hive itself should also be insulated. Depending on the method of wintering bees (outdoors, in an apiary, or any other room), the most suitable method and the necessary material for insulating the hives should be chosen. The main thing is that the bee colony is protected from drafts, strong winds, moisture, and cold.
Reducing the beehive before winter and insulating the hives is a necessary process for the successful wintering of the bee colony. Even in case of severe cold, this helps to maintain the necessary temperature in the hive. And this, in turn, reduces the amount of feed consumed by the bees, saves their energy, and has a positive effect on the bee colony as a whole.
To properly prepare bees for winter, do not forget to feed the families with sugar syrup and treat them for mites.