Talk to me about wintering bees please.

[Fishing-Nut]

I'm from Athens GA......I know when a lot of folks are talking about wintering bees it's because they live up north somewhere and the winters are long and brutal. But I'm a new keeper and want to be ahead of the game before winter gets here. Don't let the word Georgia fool ya. It does get cold here. But not real bad. honestly we don't see much snow, and if it does snow the whole state shuts down and I think everyone must be eating milk sandwiches because you can't find the stuff anywhere. Although the last couple of years we have seen some weird freezes and ice storms that lasted several days. How do y'all southern bee keepers like myself prepare for winter with your bees? Even you keepers that are not from around here. What do you do? Any advice and tips would be greatly appreciated. I really like these bees and have built a few real nice hives this year. I'd be heartbroken if I lost them this winter only to find out that I could have prevented it.

[Aroc]

For your area I imagine just make sure they have enough food.  May want to block the wind for when it gets cold.  Not sure if you'd need to worry about moisture in the hive or not.

[Van, Arkansas, USA]

Greetings Fish.  I live in N Arkansas.  Every Fall I rearrange my frames.  Empty brood on outside and honey frames in the middle of the hive.  My bees will cluster in November in the middle of the deep box.  So that is where I place the food, honey frames in the middle and sugar patties above the honey frames as needed.

Don't forget to address mites in the Fall.  That is another topic all together.
Blessings

[bwallace23350]

Your winter will be about the same as mine. Just make sure you have enough food for them. You will probably notice them flying on warmer days

[Eric Bosworth]

I started to reply to this on my phone before the system went down now I need to remember what I was going to say. Lets hope I can remember. First... Does GA have a winter? The big commercial beek by me winters his bees in SC. I wouldn't be all that concerned about winter in Georgia... I would not worry about winter in Georgia. The country of Georgia would be a different story but as long as you don't steel all of their food from them I would think they would be fine. I personally do not like to feed my bees so I just leave them more honey then I think they will need. Your winter isn't nearly as harsh as mine I go from mid to late November until early to mid April with snow on the ground.

[Bush_84]

Your winters aren't cold despite what you may think. I heat my shed to 35 degrees, which is probably the temp of your cold days.  My winter is a far cry from yours, but I'd just make sure they have enough honey. How much that is for you I'm not sure.

[Acebird]

What do you do?

Not much.  If you have a winter you inspect the hive in the fall and leave them enough honey to make it until spring.  Then you STAY OUT OF THE HIVE in winter.  Because your winters may not be cold enough to keep them in an inactive state your stores requirement may be greater than mine.
My winter prep is putting a 2" foam board on top of the cover and installing a mouse guard.

[sc-bee]

South Carolina.... deep and two shallows and I usually have a shallow left when spring rolls around. Better to have it there and not need it that the other way around. My bees are low to the ground and the ones that have screened bottom boards... I don't even close. Nothing to have on shorts at Christmas at UGA... Or in GOD's Country in Death Valley South Carolina....

[GSF]

I'll repeat some of what you just read. Yes, stay out of the hive during the winter, make sure they are well fed. Some of my hives are one super, others are 3,4, 5 supers in the winter. Here's the two things that will kill your hive in the south; mites and starvation. Those are pretty much the biggest problems. I've seen an ice trail coming down the side of one of my hives. No problem. I don't vent and I don't tilt and I may put a jar of feed on the jar hole in the inner cover if the winter is mild enough.

[Fishing-Nut]

I really appreciate the replies and advice folks.

[little john]

There's a big misunderstanding with regard to mild winters being better for bees than severe ones. This is what Herbert Mace had to say about this, in his book 'A Book About The Bee', 1921:

There can be little doubt that mild winters are worse for bees than severe ones.

With bees it is quite certain that sharp winters are best, for when the weather is very cold, they hardly move at all, but simply lie clustered in a semi-torpid condition. This economises stores, and thus colonies which have perhaps only a small proportion of stores will pull through quite easily. If, on the other hand, the weather is changeable and mild, the insects move about freely, breeding goes on in a fitful and interrupted condition, and the consequence is that the food is rapidly consumed. When the spring comes, and activity becomes general, the shortage is so great that with increased breeding there is not sufficient food to last until the flowers commence to bloom. The colony rapidly dwindles and dies out.

LJ

[Acebird]

You bet LJ it is way harder to get an indoor observation hive through the winter then it is to put the hive outside even if you are baby sitting it with supplies.  Chalk brood and nosema are big problems.

[BeeMaster2]

Brian,
I find the opposite to be true down here. I have moved very weak hives into my observation hive in late fall ind had them survive and build up in spring.
Jim