Winter preparation for the honeybees

Top Bar Hive

It is now mid-September and it is time to harvest the honey or rob the hive as it were. So a question came up where is the hive that I keep being that I live not far from the downtown area.  I have a answer for you “any where you want”. Honeybees do not require very much space and they are very docile even my dogs are good with them.

If I were to say the best place to locate them it would be in my opinion on the south side of your property under a tree. 

Being on the south side of your property the Honeybees can get the maximum sunlight in the winter time, the sunlight is good for them because it will help them to stay warm so they expend less energy as well as help to keep the snow melted off their entrance. Even though it may be winter the bees still need to… for lack of a better word, “poop”, and they don’t do it in the hive.

How much honey can you get out of one box?

The reason I would try to locate them under a tree, I would prefer a deciduous one, is because in the summer time it will help to keep them cool by shading them.  in the winter the leaves will fall away allowing the sun to get to them. So you can see the trees are beneficial, there is one other reason I can think of and it is because of the swarm. The bees tend to find a branch to lite upon when they are swarming around the queen. Collecting them into a new hive is easier when they are close and visible.

For over wintering them you need to close off the entrance and leave an opening just big enough to allow them to get out and do their thing. Keep in mind that this is important to do because you can control the critters trying to get in not necessarily to try to steal the honey but looking for a warm place to stay. I lost several hives because mice have gotten in and dedicated all over the hive, not that the honey would have been necessarily have been bad but I wasn't going to take any chances with my family health. Any hole that is big enough for mice or rats to get their heads in they can get through.

Wrapping the hives in tar paper is beneficial for keeping them warm as well as helping them to seal up drafts. You can pick it up at any home improvement center. Just wrap and staple it without covering to entrance.

Happy beekeeping

The Urban Farmer