{"id":5507,"date":"2021-08-07T10:11:18","date_gmt":"2021-08-07T14:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/?p=5507"},"modified":"2022-09-11T17:45:01","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T21:45:01","slug":"fall-hive-management-get-ready-for-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/fall-hive-management-get-ready-for-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall Hive Management (Get Ready For Winter!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated on September 11th, 2022<\/p>\n

In the fall, both honey bees and beekeepers work with an eye toward the upcoming winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the bees, queens reduce or stop brood production. In addition, the colony forcibly evicts drones that serve no purpose during winter and are a drain on food resources. Thus, the colony’s population dwindles from about 50,000 bees to about 10,000 \u2013 the size of a new bee package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The smaller colony can more easily survive winter with the honey remaining in the hive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall hive management focuses on preparing for winter. Replace queens and unite colonies, if necessary. Remove surplus honey. Check varroa levels and treat if needed. Remediate other infestations and diseases accordingly. Reduce hive sizes to accommodate the cluster and its stores. Finally, winterize for your area’s climate.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a successful beekeeper requires that you get your colonies through winter with as few losses as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is a guide to fall beehive management practices (including winterization) for beginning backyard beekeepers. Properly prepared hives require little ongoing management during winter months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall Hive Management To Minimize Winter Losses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to a survey conducted by the Bee Informed Partnership, over 32% of managed bee colonies in the United States were lost during the 2020 \u2013 2021 winter. [1]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey\u2019s respondents identified varroa mites and queen issues as the leading causes of these losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A backyard beekeeper with a handful of hives can easily lose the entire apiary. For example, Vino Farm, a popular YouTube beekeeping channel, suffered a devastating loss of all but one hive.<\/p>\n\n\n

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NEAR TOTAL HIVE LOSS... What Happened?<\/div><\/div>
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