Over Wintering
This Winter in Connecticut so far has been only in the single digits and lets just say I'm glad I took the extra precautions for over wintering my hive.
Back in September I started preparing for the winter and bought installation to wrap around my hive, as well as a Vivaldi board which has a compartment on top for some feed and room for some burlap to capture the condensation inside. I also tilted the hive up in the back 1 1/2 inches to prevent condensation from building up. Taking the extra precaution, I'm happy I wrapped my hive the way I did because through out all December and early January it has been only in the single digits. Once it starts to get above 30ºF I will remove the wrap but leave the hay until it is officially spring time.
So far the biggest hurtles that I've heard of is getting the bees through the winter and fighting off the mites. Going into the Late Fall I knew that my hive wasn't going to be strong enough to make it through the winter. From going to the workshops on the weekend hosted by my local beekeeping association and from what books on beekeeping that I could get my hands on, I read that hives should be going into the winter with at least one deep full of honey, however having one medium some what filled I knew I had to prepare them by feeding them.
I started with a 2:1 sugar water ratio or "sugar syrup" as some may call it, 10 lbs. of Organic Sugar and 5 lbs. of Water. I feed them throughout the entire fall. I used a top hive feeder in hopes for them to start storing any additional supplies they could before the temperature dropped below freezing. Every Sunday I had to refill it because they consumed all of it each week. I continued this for the entire month of October and most of November. I ordered my sugar through Amazon. If you end up doing this, I suggest getting Amazon Prime, because it saves on shipping and its delivered right to your door.
Below is my image of my "Fall Haul" I bought back in September all from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm. A Valvadi Board, A Bee Cozy and a feeder bucket among a few other things :)
As you can see in the image on the left theres a smaller box inside the bigger box which is the Vavaldi Board. For the inner box you can fill that with fondant or a candy board like substance. This is then flipped over so the bees can come up through the middle and eat the sugar as an emergency feed. I placed wax paper that my foundation came in first in the small box then the sugar, water and white vingar mix and let it harden over night before placing it on the hive.
I also went to my local nursery and bought 6 bails of hay, 2 stacked on each side of the hive for additional installation.
What you can do in a time sensitive cold drop to ensure your bees have a better chance of getting through the winter or a storm:
Purchase Hay Bails from a local nursery, or a local Agway. This will help with giving them slight more installation, and a little more warmth on the inside if freezing temperatures do come up.
Angle the hive forward using blocks of wood in the back so condensation does not build up then freeze and any water that is inside comes off the front of the hive.
Wrap your hive with installation. Either installation boards or black tarp paper (both you can purchase at a local hardware store) and staple it around the outside. If you want to avoid stapling it to the hive and avoid damaging your wood, you can use a strap to tie around it. You can use straps found at Home Depot here: Ratchet Straps
Here's wishing to warmer weather!