Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: cold wintering bees  (Read 2890 times)

Offline beehappy1950

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 273
  • Gender: Male
cold wintering bees
« on: January 25, 2025, 02:36:36 pm »
Anybody keeping bees all winter in cold climate? I live in northwest Minn. Been sending bees to California. But what if that dries up? I would like to figure out how to keep them all winter. In a warehouse or in a box or something. I would like to be able to just load them up and take them south. But that costs gas and subjects them to hive beetles. And I wouldnt be able to afford to run south two or three times to take care of them. I do have a large Bridgemann insulated box. Was hoping to do something with it. All help appreciated.

Online Ben Framed

  • Global Moderator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 14734
  • Mississippi Zone 7
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2025, 04:27:28 pm »
Michale Bush successfully keeps bee in the bitter cold winters of Nebraska.

Offline beehappy1950

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 273
  • Gender: Male
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2025, 06:20:04 pm »
I think he keeps his bees outside tho. He isnt cold as we are. I believe I spoke to him on here about wintering. Thanks

Online Terri Yaki

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 4003
  • Gender: Male
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2025, 08:09:26 pm »
I think he keeps his bees outside tho. He isnt cold as we are. I believe I spoke to him on here about wintering. Thanks
How cold are you up there?

Offline beehappy1950

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 273
  • Gender: Male
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2025, 08:27:26 pm »
normally this time of year it is twenty to thirty below zero. right now its about 8 above. I have seen 61 below.

Online Terri Yaki

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 4003
  • Gender: Male
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2025, 08:42:10 pm »
normally this time of year it is twenty to thirty below zero. right now its about 8 above. I have seen 61 below.
:shocked:  That is cold!

Offline TheHoneyPump

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1395
  • Work Hard. Play Harder.
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2025, 07:44:13 pm »
How many colonies are you looking at for this cold climate wintering?
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

Online Ben Framed

  • Global Moderator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 14734
  • Mississippi Zone 7
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2025, 07:55:49 pm »
It is good to see you post HoneyPump.

Offline beehappy1950

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 273
  • Gender: Male
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2025, 08:21:21 pm »
May be 10 to 15

Offline beehappy1950

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 273
  • Gender: Male
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2025, 08:33:48 pm »
I see you are from western canada. Thats some beautiful country out there. I hauled produce out of florida and southern texas to Vancouver Calgary Saskatoon and Winnepeg. Wish I would have known I might have gotten to see ya. Yes , you live in a cold climate of bees. Would like to hear about your operation. Thanks Harold

Online The15thMember

  • Global Moderator
  • Galactic Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 5434
  • Gender: Female
  • Traveler of the Multiverse, Seeker of Knowledge
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2025, 10:53:34 pm »
HP!  Great to see you again!  :happy:
I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led.  And through the air, I am she that walks unseen.
https://maranathahomestead.weebly.com/

Offline TheHoneyPump

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1395
  • Work Hard. Play Harder.
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #11 on: January 28, 2025, 02:21:09 am »
May be 10 to 15

Nowadays a basic websearch can turn up some fairly good articles on wintering techniques.

For the climate you describe and for 10 to 15 colonies what is best suits you will be directly proportional to the budget you have available to put towards it.  You've basically got two options - outdoor wintering, which would entail insulation and wraps.  Or indoor wintering, which dedicates a climate controlled building or cellar.  For 10 to 15 hives if you have an available budget of 1500$-3500$ you could come up with something that warrants the effort. Otherwise, you'll be further ahead to just cull in the fall and buy new package bees each spring. Wintering is labour intensive and expensive. Refreshing every spring also has the great benefits of not having to deal with the lingering issues or propagation of mites, beetles, etc. The longer a hive is run, the more pronounced those become. And with it escalating costs and efforts to control them.

The polystyrene type hive boxes are a good option to consider for outdoor wintering. These are pretty well already insulated by nature of the construction materials and would require minimal additional attention to prepare for cold winter.  These can be used year round, as they are as good at keeping the cold out in the winter as keeping the high heat out in the summer.  Use poly hive for the brood boxes, and run standard wood boxes for the honey flow.  Worthwhile for 10 to 15 hives.  Look into them.  Though, not recommended for higher numbers (eg 100s) as they will suffer durability issues when it comes to typical equipment used when stepping up to that volume, forklifts etc.

As for indoor wintering, for that 10 to 15 count you'll be wanting a very well insulated and very dark shed of 10'x20' equipped with climate controls of fresh air fan, air conditioning, and mild heat.

Beyond the equipment, survival depends on the beekeeper preparing the hive for winter, and ultimately the strain of the bees you are running as to whether they have the robustness to survive the trials of winter.  When everything else is done right, there is no better genetic selection program than winter survival.

Hope that helps with kicking off things to consider, and your research into options!


« Last Edit: January 28, 2025, 02:31:40 am by TheHoneyPump »
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

Offline beehappy1950

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 273
  • Gender: Male
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #12 on: January 28, 2025, 09:03:04 pm »
Thank you honey pump. Do you winter in side or out?

Offline Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 20489
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #13 on: January 29, 2025, 06:25:04 am »
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline beehappy1950

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 273
  • Gender: Male
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #14 on: January 29, 2025, 11:27:50 am »
Thats a lot of information there Michael. I have it figured out . You are in a good spot. Why dont I bring my bees down and let you keep them over winter. Harold

Offline TheHoneyPump

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1395
  • Work Hard. Play Harder.
Re: cold wintering bees
« Reply #15 on: January 29, 2025, 07:55:02 pm »
Thank you honey pump. Do you winter in side or out?

Both
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

 

anything