Features of wintering of individual bee breeds

The foundation for a successful honey harvest season begins not in the spring, when the bees emerge, but as early as August of the current year. But the greatest effort will have to be put in in the fall. This is when the fall inspection is conducted, which involves assessing the queen's age, the quality and quantity of winter reserves (honey and bee bread), the suitability of the combs, the health of each hive's inhabitants, and the number of worker bees. The viability of the apiary for the next year depends on these factors.

Types of wintering

The location where hives are installed during the cold season depends on climatic conditions and the size of the apiary:

1. Outdoors. The main requirement is a dense snow cover. It provides additional protection from frost. Even then, the hive is insulated with burlap or foam, mounted on supports, and dug around to prevent snow from touching the walls. Holes are drilled under the lid to ensure ventilation. They should be positioned so that rain or melting snow from a thaw does not enter.
2. In a barn. During severe cold, it's best to move the apiary to an insulated room. The floor is covered with reeds, hay, straw, or spruce branches. Ventilation holes are made in the walls. When the air temperature rises, these holes are slightly opened. At temperatures above 6°C, the bees awaken.
3. In a moss house (an insulated area that protects the apiary from wind and low temperatures. It can be built either above ground or in a specially dug pit). The walls of the structure are made of wood, brick, or rubble.
4. On sunbeds. The swarm is transferred to narrow-bodied hives, with some frames removed to ensure stable ventilation and the necessary microclimate.
5. Multi-hull hives. These hives are used by large honey producers. The beekeeper's task is to ensure sufficient food supply during wintering, as these structures use small frames. During winter, the bees occupy the upper tiers, where it is warmer. Assembling these hives is more complex.

In southern regions, preference is given to wintering outdoors, with insulated houses. In continental climates, they spend the winter indoors, in sheds, or moss houses.

Preparing bees

As early as August, bee colonies are inspected, infected individuals are identified, and treatment is provided if necessary. Small swarms are merged, and a young queen is ensured for the winter.

Each hive should be provided with supplementary feed. The average supply consists of bee bread and honey, with a total weight of 25 kg. If natural supplies are insufficient, it is permissible to add sugar syrupConditions must be created that will cause the queen to cease laying eggs by the end of August. Weak colonies are merged with strong ones.

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Insulation of houses

From this point on, work can begin on insulating the hives and future wintering sites. Barriers are installed on the hive entrances to prevent rodents from entering the hives. If the hives are to be left outside, they should be grouped together—spaced tightly to prevent wind. The hives are insulated from the inside with additional frames and from the outside with insulation (felt or felt). The hives are raised on platforms or supports.

Forage base

At low temperatures, bees are slow, and every step is a struggle. Therefore, honeycomb frames are filled to capacity and arranged around the perimeter. There are several methods for forming nests:

1. Double. If the swarm is strong, two frames (each holding approximately 2 kg of honey) are placed in the center of the wintering chamber. A second row of honeycomb is placed around them, doubling the supply.
2. The corner method is for young bees. A full frame of honeycombs is placed in one corner, followed by the others, each with a smaller quantity, in descending order. The last combs contain up to 2-2.5 kg of honey, no more.
3. Beard. The principle is the same as using the corner method, but the full "feeder" is placed in the center, with less-filled ones placed toward the walls, in descending order.

Young colonies require 15-25 kg of winter stores, while mature colonies require 30-35 kg. Wooden blocks are placed perpendicular to the honeycomb frames as guides for the inhabitants of the wintering houses.

Preparing fertilizer

It's best to leave the bee bread until spring to restore the colony's strength. To do this, replace the combs during the busy harvesting season. Remove the frames containing the bee bread, replace them with honeycombs filled with wax, and place the bee bread in a separate box. After the combs are sealed, they are preserved: transferred to boxes, hermetically sealed, and stored in chambers kept at 2-8°C. The combs are then returned to the hive in the spring.

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During the fall inspection, ensure that no heather or honeydew honey remains in the frames left over the winter. Heather honey crystallizes too quickly, hardens, and the bees cannot use it. Honeydew honey is not digested, causing the colony to die.

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Additional feeding pitchforks:

1. Sugar syrup. Dissolve sugar in water at a 2:1 ratio, bring to a boil, and add vinegar essence (1 ml per 3.5 kg of sugar). Pour the syrup warm in the evening until the swarm is ready for winter.
2. Sugar syrup with potato juice not only maintains bees' strength but also restores their reserves of nutrients. For every 1 liter of sweet syrup, add 60 ml of juice. The container is then lowered into the hive.
3. Honey dough. Grind granulated sugar to a powdery consistency, mix with warm honey (4:1 by weight), and knead into a dough. Add boiled water if needed. You can leave it on a frame over the winter.

To prevent diseases, medicinal agents are added to the feed, depending on the potential illness. Other treatment methods can also be used, such as smoke cannons or steam (by hanging a plate soaked in the medicinal agent).

Characteristics of bee breeds

When creating wintering conditions, the individual characteristics of the bees should be taken into account. The following bee species are most commonly kept in Europe:

• Kuban bees are heat-loving, hives should be carefully insulated and placed in sheds or moss houses;
• Caucasian - it is important to remember that they do not tolerate dampness well;
• Carniolan - no special conditions are required for wintering;
• Ukrainian - tolerate cold well.

Burzyan and Bashkir bees can easily withstand cold winters, can remain in tree hollows, and create their own stores. However, if they are harvesting honey, they also need favorable conditions, such as hives and supplementary feeding.