The quality of bee colony management during autumn and winter plays a crucial role in determining whether the bees can survive the cold season safely. It also serves as the foundation for the growth of the colony in the following year and directly affects honey production levels. As an old saying goes: "Overwintering bees must be age-appropriate, and the honey-footed swarm must remain quiet." This proverb captures the essential requirements for successful wintering and highlights the key conditions needed for bees to survive the winter.
First, cultivating age-appropriate bees is essential. These are the last batch of worker bees that emerge in mid-October. Unlike previous generations, they haven’t engaged in nectar collection or exhausted themselves, and they have performed a cool excretion flight, making them strong and healthy. To ensure a sufficient number of these bees, beekeepers should replace weak queens with new ones that have strong laying power during the final major nectar flow. Proper insulation and feeding should also be provided to encourage queen activity. During this process, it's important to maintain enough food reserves in the hive. Therefore, during the last nectar period, honey should be harvested carefully and not excessively, following the principle of minimal disturbance. Taking less means harvesting no more than one-third at a time to ensure enough food for winter. The purpose of careful feeding is to support the queen’s egg-laying.
When there is adequate feed, a strong colony has a better chance of surviving the winter. Generally, a colony with 60% to 80% age-appropriate bees can survive the winter successfully. However, the length of the winter varies by region. If the winter lasts more than four months, the colony should have more than four boxes; if it's only two months, two boxes may suffice. Beekeepers across the country classify colonies with five to fifteen boxes as strong, while those with two to three boxes are considered weak. To help weak colonies survive, some keepers use a single box for overwintering, which not only protects the queen but also conserves food, improves cold resistance, reduces bee deaths, and supports faster recovery in spring.
Second, overwintering feed includes capped honey, honey combs, and pollen. Having enough stored feed is vital for both winter survival and early spring breeding. Ideally, each colony should have at least 1.5 kilograms of high-quality honey. Stronger colonies can store up to 2 kilograms per box and should also have 1–2 additional combs for early spring needs. Some beekeepers mistakenly believe that since bees are less active in winter, they don’t need much feed and may just give sugar water before winter. This is a serious mistake that can harm the health of the colony and hinder spring development. Experienced beekeepers, however, start feeding their bees during the summer. They carefully manage honey stores, selecting high-quality cappings from non-hive areas and leaving half of the comb in the middle for emergency use during winter and spring.
Third, preventing swarming and theft is critical. Theft by other bees can cause severe losses and even lead to the destruction of entire colonies. Signs of theft include worker bees fighting on the ground or around the hive, or bees being found outside the hive. When this happens, immediate action is necessary. Common methods include reducing the entrance size, covering the hive, using smoke, or moving the hives. If theft occurs within an apiary, the hives should be scattered and hidden overnight.
To prevent theft, inspections should be minimized, especially when nectar is scarce. Any spilled sugar or honey should be covered with soil, and feeding should be done at night in small amounts. Reducing the number of feeding events can also help.
Fourth, controlling mites is another essential task. Mite management should begin in autumn before preparing for overwintering. Usually, treatments should be applied 3–5 times. Common treatments include fumigants and hygiene balls. For small-scale beekeepers, a tobacco-lime mixture can be effective in controlling mite infestations.
Finally, timely queen control is an effective way to produce age-appropriate bees, manage colony population, and conserve resources. In late fall and early winter, caging the queen helps maintain the right population size and keeps the bees physiologically young. The timing and method vary by region. In areas north of the Huaihe River, this is usually done around September 20th, using a 531.5 cm diameter cage to stop the queen from laying eggs.
Important considerations during queen caging:
1. The caging period should not be too long between flower seasons, or it may affect the next flowering cycle.
2. Decisions should be based on the colony's strength and the intended production goals.
3. Caging is best used in strong colonies or where there are two long flowering periods.
4. Before caging, the hive should be slightly crowded, and the queen should be fed 0.25 kg of syrup daily until she is covered.
5. Place the queen in the middle or lower part of the hive for proper ventilation in summer and clustering in winter. During winter, extra attention should be given to insulation to prevent the queen from freezing due to sudden temperature drops or insufficient food.
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