This is my eighth winter beekeeping and I am happy that I have actually started to learn from my mistakes in the last few years. This is my most successful winter yet with low colony loss and good strong colonies coming out of winter.
I also suspect that the mild winter has helped considerably but this is what I do to prep my bees for winter.
Treat for varroa, I treat 3 times a year, Autumn, Spring and Mid winter. (in my opinion treating in Spring is the start of prepping your bees for the following winter)
I make sure they have a lot more than the 40lb of stores generally recommended, (50lb at least)
I now feed not only sugar syrup but also pollen supliment. I now believe that most colonies I have suffer from some form of pollen deficiency in Autumn, I then feed pollen supliments in Spring starting in January to help increase numbers as soon as possible and lessen the load off the winter bees from foraging pollen to raiding it from within the hive.
Make sure I have young queens in my colonies with the exception of breeder queens. A very good queen should never be culled if being used for breeding purposes. Never keep swarm queens any more simply because you dont know there age.
Treat any swarms that come in to an apiary for varroa as soon as possible. Then include in any future apiary treatment schedule.
Make sure all kit is in a fit and proper state.
All open mesh floors are sealed up. Mouse guards on, depending on temps, small entrances to discourage late wasp robbing. I have found this year my lowest loss rate (until this winter, last year was my lowest loss rate, which considering the beast from the east, I was very happy with). Lots of the boxes are very strong indeed, great for early splits and equalizing of colonies.
Will I do anything different next year? Yes, I normally treat with a OA dribble in January, however reading up there appears to be a strong suggestion that early December is a better broodless period and I also intend to vape instead of dribble. Again there is a strong suggestion that vaping is more effective, less stressfull on the bees and obviously less invasive, Thanks to the gas-vap its also just become quick and cheap.
I think I've covered everything, what do you guys do and are you happy with the results.
I also suspect that the mild winter has helped considerably but this is what I do to prep my bees for winter.
Treat for varroa, I treat 3 times a year, Autumn, Spring and Mid winter. (in my opinion treating in Spring is the start of prepping your bees for the following winter)
I make sure they have a lot more than the 40lb of stores generally recommended, (50lb at least)
I now feed not only sugar syrup but also pollen supliment. I now believe that most colonies I have suffer from some form of pollen deficiency in Autumn, I then feed pollen supliments in Spring starting in January to help increase numbers as soon as possible and lessen the load off the winter bees from foraging pollen to raiding it from within the hive.
Make sure I have young queens in my colonies with the exception of breeder queens. A very good queen should never be culled if being used for breeding purposes. Never keep swarm queens any more simply because you dont know there age.
Treat any swarms that come in to an apiary for varroa as soon as possible. Then include in any future apiary treatment schedule.
Make sure all kit is in a fit and proper state.
All open mesh floors are sealed up. Mouse guards on, depending on temps, small entrances to discourage late wasp robbing. I have found this year my lowest loss rate (until this winter, last year was my lowest loss rate, which considering the beast from the east, I was very happy with). Lots of the boxes are very strong indeed, great for early splits and equalizing of colonies.
Will I do anything different next year? Yes, I normally treat with a OA dribble in January, however reading up there appears to be a strong suggestion that early December is a better broodless period and I also intend to vape instead of dribble. Again there is a strong suggestion that vaping is more effective, less stressfull on the bees and obviously less invasive, Thanks to the gas-vap its also just become quick and cheap.
I think I've covered everything, what do you guys do and are you happy with the results.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted - Ralph Waldo Emerson