Winter Prep

The Beginning Beekeeper, Photos, Photos II, Bees at 5 1/2 weeks, 7/18/14, New Queens, Honey Harvest, Winter Prep. Second Year 4/1/15, Update 5/26/15, 9/12/15 Something New. 11/12/15 Winter Prep. 11/20/15 January 30, 2016 Spring 2016 March 2017 My Photos

Winter Emergency Feed

Here's how I try to make sure that our bees do not starve during the cold Pennsylvania winters. Weather, bee stores, mite load & colony size can all influence bee survival. I try to manage as best I can to insure survival. We'll see what happens this winter.

S. Repasky photo This is the way Stephen Repasky, EAS master Beekeeper & author of the book "Swarm Essentials", available at Wicwas Press, winters his hives. I use 1 1/2" spacers instead of the 1" as labled & Steve has said that his are also actually 1 1/2."	This is a granulated sugar brick as prepared for the oven. Mine consist of sugar & a 1/2 apple cider vinegar 1/2 water mix at 1 oz liquid per lb of sugar.
After moderately packing into a 13 X 9 cake pan, bake at the minimum oven temperature for 5-6 hours. Mine was 170°. Yields 2 bricks per cake pan. Cut these bricks BEFORE heating.	You must allow the sugar brick to cool completely in order to harden. Mine were left in the turned off oven overnight.
These weigh about 4 lbs each. I will check about once a month and replace as needed. These are emergency feed & can make the difference between your hives surviving the winter or not. Last year I installed in late November & replaced most in January. A lot depends on the weather & honey stored by the bees during the late summer & fall.	I added a pinch of this vitamin/electrolyte to the water/vinegar mix before adding to the sugar. Just a little bit is optional if you have it.