Feeding Bees in Winter

Pollen patty directly on frames (girls drawing comb)

     One of the main reasons for bees not surviving winter is starvation, particularly in late winter/early spring.  Depending on the length of your winter (no natural food source or too cold to forage) a full colony of bees in our northern regions will consume between 27-40 kgs (60-90 lbs) of honey.  In our apiary in Vancouver we have found that a average sized colony requires about 10 deep or 15 medium frames (30 kg or 66 lbs) to overwinter in a normal year.  Every location is different.  

     Opening the hive in winter should be avoided but if necessary you can check if your hive is in need of winter feeding with a quick check on a nice day (not snowing or windy).  This should take less than a minute and not require the lifting of frames.  It's possible to avoid opening the hive by monitoring the weight (vs weight at beginning of winter) by simply lifting the back of the hive if you have experience or using a simple luggage scale.  Here is an example of a winter hive check.

     

     In beekeeping it may vary yearly but months are either negative or positive in terms of food accumulation.  In our temperate northern climate April to October are positive accumulation months, March and October are neutral depending on the weather and November through February are negative.  

     In some areas where there is a late summer dearth (lack of forage) beekeepers will feed a 2 to 1 sugar syrup mixture to ready their bees for winter.  When the weather is still warm and there is not good forage, the bees are still very active and can consume a lot of their winter food supplies.  This can occur for us in October.  

     Sugar syrup is sometimes fed to bees in the spring and fall but below a certain temperature (approximately 12 C / 54 F) the bees are unable to dehydrate the liquid to store it.  One issue to keep in mind when autumn feeding is the accumulation of stored uncapped syrup in frames which acts as a hive humidifier in winter.  It's a good idea to minimize this.  Some beekeepers maintain that the warmth from the cluster will be sufficient to heat a plastic baggy of syrup placed above the cluster at colder temperatures.  I've not tried this.  

     When it is colder beekeepers can use a solid sugar feed in dry form as a sugar cake.  In the "Feeding" section of our "Beekeepers Library" you will find recipes for syrup, candy, pollen patties, grease patties, pollen substitute, essential oil mixtures, inverted sugar syrup and other bee food products.  If you are using sugar make sure it is refined sucrose (table sugar) without impurities.  Unrefined sugars have poisoned bees and brown sugar and molasses are toxic to bees (Selecting sugars for feeding to Honey Bees).  While it was previously thought that high fructose corn syrup, which is used by many commercial beekeepers was chemically indistinguishable from honey a recent study (Honey elements induce detoxification and immunity) found that honey contains important elements of pollen and propolis.  These elements induce the detoxification and immunity genes and may help the bees cope with pesticides and pathogens.  Feeding anything but their own honey is not a long term healthy alternative.  

     Some beekeepers believe that if you invert the sucrose (refined table sugar) by adding an acid (i.e vinegar) you will create a more natural food similar to honey and easier to digest.  The inversion process changes the sucrose to fructose and glucose essentially the same as honey.  However, there is no scientific evidence supporting this and bees actually perform the inversion in the digestive process in their honey stomach.    

     When feeding in winter you want to apply the food so that the girls do not have to leave their winter cluster.  You can invert your inner cover to leave space to place the sugar cake or patty on top of the frames or build a simple spacer or eke.  I use 2 inch feeding spacers similar to those used by Anita at Beverley Bees (Beverley Bees Candy Board) and a simple no cook sugar and water mixture.  I add enough water (not much) that it sticks together and does not run down between the frames.  I place the sugar/water mixture on paper with cuts in it for easier accessibility in the feeding spacer in place of the inner cover (it is removed) with a hole drilled as an upper entrance.  Remember to make your spacer as small as possible as the ladies love to fill that space with comb and may do so rather quickly in the spring.  You can feed the ladies dry sugar on paper (Michael Bush uses a dry granulated sugar for cold weather feeding) on top of the frames wetted down with water (the hive humidity should keep it moist)  or make a Sugar Cake.  You can check quickly throughout the winter on nicer days (avoid windy,snowy days) and add as needed.  Here is a demonstration by Philip from Mudsongs.org adding a sugar cake on a winter day. 

Here is a few simple recipes for those not as lazy as me:

Fondant from Granulated Sugar

Fondant can be fed directly to the bees once cooled. They are a good food source for mini-mating nucs because there is no drowning involved when you have a small amount of bees. It is also common to use this recipe in small quantities to plug the hole on a Queen Cage.
Equipment:
< 1 large saucepan
< 1 Hand or electric mixer
< 1 Cooking themometer
< Shallow disposable setting pans (pizza)

Ingredients:

< 4 parts (by volume) granulated white sugar
< 1 parts (by volume) water
< Optional 1 teaspoon white vinegar

Boil water and slowly add the sugar until dissolved, stirring constantly. Continue heating until the mixture reaches 238°F (114°C). Without mixing allow the solution to cool until it is slightly warm to the touch (200F). Then begin to mix (in a mixer) and aerate the solution. As you do this the color should turn white and creamy with air bubbles. Pour into shallow dishes or mold and allow to cool.  To feed it can be placed directly on top of the frames or in a feeding spacer.  You can make the fondant thin enough to where it can be worked into an empty frame of drawn comb.

This video is a step by step process of how to make their version of fondant by the Northwest New Jersey Beekeepers Association.


Bee Candy
Candy is not used as much as in the past because it's harder to make and work with.  However here is the recipe for those not deterred by hard work.
Equipment:
< Heavy duty cooking pans
< Large spoon for stirring
< Measuring jug
< Cooking themometer
< Plastic containers
< Enameled or pyrex dishes

Ingredients:
< Refined granulated white sugar
< Water
< Cooking oil
< Newspapers

Pour 500 ml (1 pint) of water in a heavy saucepan and add 2 kgs. granulated sugar. Heat to the boiling point, stirring constantly to prevent the sugar burning on the bottom. Continue to boil til the syrup reaches 117 degrees centigrade (242 fahrenheit).  Prepare your enamel or pyrex glass dish by coating with vegetable oil, then lining with a sheet of newspaper.  Also, soak an old towel in cold water and lay it on a waterproof heat proof work surface.  Once the boiling syrup has reached 117 degrees centigrade place it on the wet towel to cool.  Stir the mixture continuously as it thickens.  Stir only so long that the mixture can still be poured into the lined dishes.  Allow to set and cool and to remove (when cooled) pull gently on the edges of the paper liner. 

     Here are a few other versions of fondant recipes from Brookfield Farm and Backyard Beehive or you can purchase it from a retailer.  Whether you use the above recipes or just dry granulated sugar you can check on your feed and add as needed whenever there is a break in the weather.  Here is another video showing feeding at 40 fahrenheit (4 celsius).  

    

     Pollen patties (with sugar) provide both the carbohydrates from sugar and the proteins from pollen (usually pollen substitute) to stimulate brood production.  The presence of new pollen substitute in the hive triggers the nurse bees to produce royal jelly to prepare the cells for queen egg laying.  A good explanation of the importance of pollen by Beespoke Info.

The Importance of Pollen  

"Protein is important because it is the building material for growth and tissue repair. As a measure of the importance of the protein in pollen, it has been shown that the amount available to a colony influences the size of the emerging brood. In fact it has been calculated that the amount of pollen required to rear a bee – from the hatching of the egg to the emergence of the adult – is between 120 and 145mg.

But it doesn’t stop there because bees continue to grow after emergence. On average, emerging bees contain 13% protein (Witherell) but by the time they are 5 days old, the heads, thoraces and abdomens of young bees contain 93%, 38%,76%, more protein respectively than those of the newly emerged (Dietz). This huge increase is brought about by a massive consumption of pollen which is initiated within a very short time of emergence, perhaps as little as two hours, and rises to a peak at about 5-9 days old before gradually diminishing and eventually tailing off at 15-18 days (Dietz).

However not all this protein intake is used in growth of the bee or development of the hypopharyngeal glands because it is on about the 3rd day after emergence that the bees are directly employed in brood rearing, an activity that continues up until about the 13th day (Gary) and involves the passing on of pollen-derived protein to larvae in bee milk.

During brood rearing, a nurse bee needs to digest about 10mg of pollen to produce 4mg of protein per day in brood food which is produced in the hypopharyngeal glands. The more protein that is available to the nurse bees either by concentration in, or sheer bulk of, pollen the more larvae a bee is able to feed."

     We want to time the protein feeding to coincide with the main nectar, pollen flow which for us is early April (fruit flower).  In Vancouver pollen patties can be added as early as February.  I place them right on the sugar in the candy board described above.  There is an old theory to begin feeding pollen patties 8 weeks prior to that main nectar and pollen flow.  3 weeks for the girls to be born, 3 weeks to become foragers and two weeks to build up the forager numbers.   Why not feed all winter?   A brood break is good for the colony for many reasons.  First of all no brood, no varroa reproduction.  This means the colony can start the year with a minimal varroa.  Secondly, in cold climates in winter the center of the cluster may be only 20 celsius as opposed to 35 in summer resulting in chilled brood.  Third, less bees means less food consumption and lastly a break for the queen.  

     Pollen is the source of protein and nutrients for bees.  The level of body protein in bees varies seasonally between 21-67% depending on the availability and type of pollen available and the amount of energy expended foraging and brood raising. Different blossoms produce different quality pollen.  For example dandelions and blueberries produce a fairly low nutritional pollen while almond pollen is fairly high in nutrition. 

Dandelion pollen, although attractive to bees lacks certain amino acids.  Other types of pollen must be gathered in order to fully utilize the protein.

     Bees store protein in their bodies in the form of vitellogenin which directly determines their life span and immunological strength  to fight diseases and pests.  When the body protein level in bees drops it may take several weeks to recover.  Low body protein level means low brood and honey production.  A wide variety of pollens are essential for optimum bee health as each pollen provides different essential nutrients.  The report, "Nutritional Value of Bee Collected Pollens" is an qualitative analysis of the pollen from different plants and trees.  This is why pollen patties or pollen substitute patties are not as healthy as a natural variety of stored pollens but rather a diet supplement.  Having said that research has shown that colonies receiving pollen supplements in early spring can produce 2-4 times the brood of a non supplemented colony.  In addition the life span of worker bees is increased up to 15 days and consequently mid summer honey production is also increased.  

     The best protein source for supplemental feeding is of course pollen.  Studies show that bees are attracted to pollen and consume significantly more when the patties contain pollen rather than pollen substitute.  The graph below illustrates the benefits of pollen in supplemental feeding.  

Having said that pollen can be a carrier of bee diseases and if the source is unknown should be irradiated before use in a pollen patty. Since most beekeepers don't want to irradiate use your own pollen collected from healthy hives.  The nutritional value of pollen diminishes quickly when dried and stored so it is best to freeze your pollen immediately after collecting without drying.  It is recommended that you use between 3-5% pollen in your pollen patty and that your overall protein level be about 25%.  The best protein supplements or alternatives to pollen are yeast and soy flour.  Brewer's yeast has a 48-56% protein content and is a good but expensive protein source to stimulate brood production.  The more affordable soy flour (48-50% crude protein level) appears to be more of an adult bee food stimulating activity in the hive.  Due to these different benefits a combination of these protein sources is recommended.  Other additives like pollard (mixture of fine bran and flour- vitamin and essential oil source), vegetable oil (feed palatability), vitamins and minerals and sugar (carbohydrate and energy source) can be utilized.  I read recently where a local beekeeper is using herring meal as a protein source and no his honey doesn't taste like fish. Human vitamin and mineral supplements are made for mammals not bees so are not recommended.  Always use fresh ingredients as nutritional values decrease with time and old soy flour may even be toxic to bees.  Sugar is an attractant in your feed and vegetable oil (like soy or cotton seed) can make it more palatable.  The patty should be placed directly over the winter bee cluster which is normally in the middle of the brood box as the bees will not leave the cluster if it is cold.  You can invert your inner cover to make room for the pollen patty.  If you find there is not enough room between your hive frames and your inner cover you can make a simple hive eke (an extender frame or shallow box). When I made my insulated moisture quilt (Insulated Moisture Quilt) I left space over the frames for supplemental feeding.  Pollen patties can usually be obtained from any beekeeping supply store but here are a few pollen or substitute pollen patty recipes. 

Pollen Patty (3 different recipes)

(Government of B.C. Apiculture Department)

In supplement mixes, the percentage of pollen can be increased or decreased depending on availability.

#1             3 parts soybean flour

                 1 part pollen

#2             4 parts Brewer’s Yeast

                  2 parts dry sugar

                 1 part pollen

                 2 parts lighter sugar syrup (2 sugar : 1 water)

#3              10 parts Torula Type S Yeast

                  10 parts Brewer’s Yeast

                   1 part pollen

Note: use 2 parts dry mix to 3 parts syrup

Substitute Pollen Patty (3 different recipes)

#1               soybean flour only

#2               4 parts soybean flour

                   1 part Brewer’s Yeast

#3               10 parts soybean flour

                  6 parts casein

                   3 parts Brewer’s Yeast

                   1 part egg yolk powder

In each case, add 4-5 parts of the dry mix to 2 parts heavy sugar syrup as indicated below in directions on preparation of patties.

Prepare patties as follows:

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly.

Mix a heavy syrup of 3 parts sugar to 1 part water.

Slowly add 2 parts of syrup to 4-5 parts of dry mix (see dry mix formulas above), while kneading.

Leave overnight and knead again before flattening into a 1.5 cm cake.

Cut into squares weighing about 0.5 kg (1 lb).

Place on wax paper and cover with another wax paper to prevent drying.

Here is a video from DC Honeybees showing how to make a substitute pollen patty using these ingredients: 

1/2 lb yeast;
1/2 lb dried milk;
1.5 lb soy flour;
1/3 cup canola oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
a multi vitamin

Here are the folks from Mudsongs installing a pollen patty.


      

      For more information on feeding bees go to the "Feeding" section of our library and for more information on winter management go to the "Winter Management" section of our library.

"There is no other field of animal husbandry like beekeeping. It has the appeal to the scientist, the nature lover, and even (or especially) the philosopher. It is a chance to work with some of the most fascinating of God's creatures, to spend time and do work in the great outdoors, to challenge my abilities and continue to learn. My hope is that I never become so frail with old age that I cannot spend my days among the bees. It gives credence to the old saw that "the best things in life are free". I thank God daily for the opportunity and privilege to be a beekeeper."

             

Winter Preparation for Vancouver Beekeepers

      It's September and time for Vancouver beekeepers to prepare for winter.  Actually winter preparation is an ongoing task (Beekeeping Calendar for B.C.).  The main reasons our bees die over the winter is starvation, colonies suffering from parasitic mite syndrome, too few bees to heat the cluster and moisture.  I complete my winter hive setup by the middle of October.  Much of what you do in preparation depends on your management style of beekeeping (virtually nothing for the extreme natural beekeeper to intense management for others).  This is a revised post from last year and are just a few suggestions based on my experience keeping bees in Vancouver.  Here is a beekeeper's fall checklist from the BC Tech Transfer Program which includes colony strength, brood diseases, mite monitoring, feeding and wrapping.  Beekeeping is very location dependent so for those outside of Vancouver revise accordingly (Check out the Winter Management section of our library).

     Something I practice is I never put to bed for winter a weak colony.  When I say above, winter preparation is an ongoing task I mean addressing a weakness at it's infancy by treatment or requeening long before September.  Adding frames of bees to a weak colony now won't make it a strong colony just a more populated weak colony.  Some of the practices I use for winter preparation are 2x4 under rear of hive to allow drainage down the front and not on the cluster, R5 insulation under the outer cover to reduce condensation, candy board added at start of winter (December), insulate and/or tar paper and mite test board in place.  Once again this is location dependant and I'm sure others will find other practices that work well for them.  I completed a formic acid treatment in July and usually do another later in September as needed (mite check).  I have screened (eighth inch) entrance reducers to allow for treatment during wasp predation season (unusual low yellowjacket population this year but fairly strong bald faced hornet presence - picking off bees at hive entrance).  We have the normal skunk scrapings at the hive entrances this year and a first for me, a pair of sparrows that spent most of the summer picking off bees at the hive entrances (feeding their young).  

Food    
     To address the food issue you will need about 10 deep frames or 15 medium frames of honey (65 lbs or 30 kgs) for an average sized colony to survive the winter in our location.  In our specific location (Strathcona) we still have a good availability of nectar and pollen with many different plant species still in flower in our 4 acre garden and the surrounding area.  Due to global warming plants in Vancouver can begin to flower 2-3 weeks earlier than in the past so our forage shortage begins in mid September.  The problem occurs when the temperatures are still warm enough from mid September through mid October for the colony to stay active.  An active colony without a natural food source may consume much of the winter food supply.  I'm fortunate this year to have a good supply of honey frames from my stronger hives that I can share with my weaker hives. If the food reserves are low it's a good time to feed syrup and pollen patties (September - October).  You can feed during formic acid treatment by using a hive top feeder and adding the feed either before or when you add the formic pads.  You cannot open the hive during the treatment period.  This article "Feeding Bees in Winter" describes the different methods of feeding at different temperatures.  The girls will take a 2 to 1 syrup down to about 12 celsius (53 fahrenheit) after which they find it too difficult to dehydrate for storage.  Some beekeepers will feed syrup baggies on top of the frames in colder temperatures on the theory that heat from the cluster warms the syrup.  I've not tried this.   An issue with syrup feeding this time of year is making sure most of the syrup the bees store gets capped.  The uncapped syrup will become a source of winter moisture and mold.    

     To address our main foraging shortage which occurs from mid September to mid October I have separated the root balls of common Asian Asters and a larger Canadian Aster for planting and transplanted the invasive Canadian Goldenrod (Aster).  We have a few hundred autumn flowering variety Asters in our 4 acre garden.  Other late bloomers in our garden are Japanese Anemone, Mint, Autumn Joy Sedum, Scarlet Runner Bean, Calendula, Sunflower, Rudbeckia, Purple Coneflower, Jersulam Artichoke and the invasive Japanese Knotweed  (Nectar Plants of British Columbia).  A mixed diet is beneficial for the girls so some other late blooming plants are Caryopteris 'Dark Knight' (Blue Mist Spirea), Dahlia, Hardy Fushia, Seven Sons flower (Autumn Lilac), Impatiens omeianan, Camellia sinensis (Hardy tea bush) and Osmanthus fragrans (Fragrant Olive) (Nutritional Value of Bee Collected Pollens and Pollen Sources).  I will avoid the temptation to plant the invasive late blooming ivy and Himalayan Balsam. 

Goldenrod

Aster

It's good at this point to make sure you have your emergency winter feeders ready if you plan to use them. A major cause of colony death is late winter starvation (February - April) which can be solved by the use of an emergency winter feeder like this one from Beverly Bees (Candy Board).  During a prolonged cold spell bees may be unable to access honey on the other side of the box. A candy board directly above can be a lifesaver.  

Candyboard

They're easy to build with 1x4's and quarter or half inch wire mesh and can be a colony lifesaver.  You can quickly check on the feeders through the late winter to gauge the status of the food supply (Feeding Bees in Winter).  

     In the Greater Vancouver area there are some differences in winter food requirements based on available foraging days and available forage. Because of the  effect of the North Shore Mountains precipitation varies from 150+ inches (380 centimeters) annually at the upper altitudes of the mountains to 30 inches (75 centimeters) along the U.S. border.  This effect reduces precipitation and increases hours of sunlight as you move southward.  It can be sunny in the south and cloudy and rainy by the mountains.  An obvious benefit to late and early season foraging.  This is particularly beneficial in March and April when we have a lot of flowering plants available but marginal foraging weather.  The graph below divides Greater Vancouver into 9 zones with 9 being the upper altitudes of the North Shore Mountains and 1 being the southern region along the U.S. border (Greater Vancouver Precipitation).  As the crow flies this is a distance of less than 30 kilometers or 20 miles.

Though active at lower temperatures I have found high population foraging in our apiary at 12 degrees celsius (53 fahrenheit) in March (Willow trees, Forsythia, Flowering Cherry).

     This means more flyable, foraging weather the further south you live and the more active the colony with the additional needed sunshine warming the hive and bees.  The activity of the bees is directly linked to the number of hours of sunlight on the hives.  For optimum colony health maximize the sun exposure on your hives (South to southeast exposure with minimal shade).  We moved our apiary because it was surrounded by fast growing Black Locust, Willow and Cottonwood trees (Great pollen and nectar sources).  Other than occasional bearding the hives didn't seem adversely affected by the extreme heat of the summer of 2021 ( 40 celsius/ 100 fahrenheit).  * Update 2022: Unfortunately we had 3 times the normal rainfall this September followed by temperatures 3-4 degrees cooler than normal in October decreasing the available foraging time.  Feeding may be essential for most.  Check your winter food supply.      
      Also effecting food availability and feeding in preparation for winter is whether you are in a rural agricultural or urban setting. The rural, agricultural areas in Surrey, Delta and the Fraser Valley tend to have extreme honey and brood production during crop blossoms but can suffer in the off season while the urban areas tend to have a more consistent food source availability throughout the foraging period (March - November) due to urban landscaping and irrigation.  

     The honey frames should be positioned on both sides of the cluster in the bottom box and above the cluster in the second super (super = hive box).  If the cluster is in an upper box it's recommended to switch the box to the bottom in preparation for winter.  In the spring you can reverse that process as the girls will have worked their way up to upper part of the second box.

Winter cluster at the end of winter

      For a Kenyan Top Bar put the cluster at one end and the honey frames next to the cluster.  I've often run all deep supers in my Langstroth hives because universal boxes and frames are easier to manage.  I can add honey frames from my third or fourth box to the brood boxes to over winter.  Many new beekeepers and some old are moving towards all medium boxes because of the lighter weight.  This makes sense as a deep box of honey can weigh 80 lbs (36 kgs).
      All beekeepers have plus and negative food accumulation months and generally April 1 to Oct 1 are positive food accumulation months for us in Vancouver.  March and October can be neutral but are usually negative depending on the available foraging days (weather).  November through February are winter cluster, negative food accumulation months.
 
Pest and Disease Control      
     Pest and disease identification and control should be an ongoing process and if you are beginning now it may be too late.  Evidence of chalk brood or nosema would indicate a weak colony (Diseases).  Increased ventilation and removal of old comb can be done to combat the chalk brood and a pollen patty/fumagillin mixture may help combat the nosema.  European Foulbrood can be treated with Terramycin and a positive AFB confirmation means disposal of the hive and prevention of spread.  Mite counts throughout the year and subsequent treatments should let you know whether you have a major issue.  Mite treatments like formic acid can continue into October as long as there is a day time high temp of 10c and although oxalic acid was traditionally done in December when there is little to no brood present (it does not effect mites in the brood) it is now a year round treatment option with a new pad form available in the U.S.  A mistake made by many beekeepers is to treat in August and with a large, healthy colony and assume everything is fine.  Continue mite tests and treatment through September.  If needed I will start my final formic acid treatment in the middle of September.  A reduced screened entrance using eighth inch hardware cloth can be used to allow for needed ventilation during formic acid treatments while providing a more easily defended (against wasps) reduced entrance.  I staple the eighth inch hardware cloth to the bottom board and first brood box.  I find this a necessity as the yellowjacket wasps are very aggressive starting in August.   

     The video below "Getting Your Hives Ready for Winter" is a recorded webinar with Kim Flottum (Bee expert and editor of Bee Culture magazine) which does a very good job of discussing winter preparation for bee colonies focusing on year around mite control.  Controlling mites goes a long way to controlling virus transmission and overall colony health.


 

Cold and Moisture
      A U.S. Bee Informed Survey of wintering hives (the only large scale North American winter survival survey) showed that 3 conditions determined winter survival success and they were adequate food, strong colonies (equalization or combining hives) and ventilation (moisture reduction).

The survey is extensive and includes the results for geographic region, all types of pest and disease management, feeding and winter preparation.  The Bee Informed Survey 2016 - 2017

     Wrapping and insulation showed no benefit but I think that depends on where you live.  If you live in cold northern climates like Winterpeg either you wrap and insulate or you bring the girls inside. 40 below is 40 below.  While insulation is not traditionally necessary in Vancouver (we have a mild winter climate and rarely get much below freezing) I know some that do with good results.  Insulation could be counter productive by keeping the heat out and preventing the hive from warming up by the sun (Sun in Vancouver in winter?). A study of hive insulation showed the benefits of reduced food consumption and colony mortality.  This makes sense as the thickness of a standard modern wood hive does not provide the shelter from the cold provided by a natural tree cavity.  Insulation under the outer cover is effective at minimizing the temperature difference and resulting condensation between the outside and inner hive (With half inch R5 insulation no moisture and mold, without both).  I would recommend insulation for those with smaller winter clusters (soccer ball size or less) which may have difficulty generating enough heat during our cold spells (- 10 C.).  Some local beekeepers wrap their hives with black roofing paper to prevent wind penetration and to help absorb the heat (Black objects absorb more heat).   It may be helpful but an argument against this is that the girls take care of  wind penetration with use of propolis and do we want a warmer hive in the winter?  Warmer means more active bees and more food consumption.  For us wrapping in March may be a good option as we have lots of blossoms (Willow, forsythia, flowering cherry, bulbs ...) but marginal foraging temperatures.  Wrapping would warm the hives and get the girls flying earlier in the day increasing their pollen and nectar intake and stimulate egg laying.  This winter with a prolonged forecast of -12 Celsius (10 Fahrenheit) I insulated and wrapped the hives.  Over the 2 week period we had cold temps and high winds.  Sunny and 6 Celsius (43 Fahrenheit) today I checked the hives and all were well and active with lots of cleansing flights (poop breaks) and house cleaning (removing dead bees).  One particularly strong 8 frame cluster came to greet me in an unfriendly manner when I added the candy board.     

Temperature difference on black and white surface

     

     Wintering your bees is like real estate value in that the 3 most important considerations are location, location and location.  Location dictates the methods you will use to protect your bees from the elements. Windbreaks are essential in some areas where there are cold, winter winds, especially for rooftop beekeepers.  In winter Vancouver has a predominant, low pressure weather pattern with winds from the southeast that bring with it fairly constant cool, wet weather.  We usually have only a few snow falls per year and a few weeks of freezing temperatures.  Therefore moisture, not cold is our biggest issue.  The moisture is created when warm air created by the cluster of bees rises and contacts the cold inner cover creating cold condensation which drips onto the cluster.  There are a lot of different methods to reduce moisture in the hive from dripping on the cluster like tilting the hive forward by putting a 2x4 under the back of the hive to allow the moisture to run down the front of the hive and not on the cluster and/or as mentioned above insulating under the outer cover.  Another option is an Insulated Moisture Quilt placed above the hive boxes to reduce cold condensation dripping on the winter cluster.

The bee hive in winter without any form of moisture reduction

Insulated Moisture Quilt

     The heat produced by the cluster rises to contact the warmer insulated cover producing less condensation, which then drips onto the wood chips (not the bees) which are dried by the vent holes.  They are easy to make out of scrap material (or an old hive box) and the link above provides detailed building instructions.  

     During winter you must have an upper entrance in your Langstroth hive for ventilation and because dead bees or snow can block the lower entrance. For moisture reduction in a Kenyan Top Bar Hive beekeepers can use an insulated moisture quilt, carpet over the top bars (Bill Stagg's method) or reflective insulation (Sam Comfort's method).  Although I know some who don't I enclose the bottom of the hive with the test board because we can get periods of cold weather (-10 Celsius,14 fahrenheit) and strong winds.
     In Vancouver we usually get at least 2 major storms a year of 80+ km winds (50 miles per hr).  For this reason and the presence of skunks and racoons we use cinder blocks (ratchet straps are another option) on our hives to prevent the outer cover from blowing off or being removed and have positioned the hives to have a natural wind break (berm to the south).  A wind break is particularly important for roof top beekeepers. Years back I was asked to check on some roof top hives as the beekeeper had moved and found all the outer covers blown off and the bees dead.  Though not necessary some use pieces of plexiglass extending 4+ inches over the outer covers to provide additional weather protection and extend the life of our beekeeping equipment.

 Winter Hive

  

 
Wasps
      With the decrease in available forage robbing and wasp attacks become a real concern starting in August so guard bees will become more defensive and in the wild the colony may reduce the size of the entrance with propolis and wax.  The beekeeper can assist by reducing the entrance to as small as 1.5 centimeters or a half inch to make it easier to defend (weaker colonies).  With stronger colonies I shift the entrance reducer to the 4 inch opening.  In Vancouver wasps have been more aggressive, longer into the winter over the last few years.  I received a swarm call recently in December.  There had been a few hard frosts so out of interest (knowing it wasn't a swarm)  I went to see a very active paper yellowjacket nest in an unheated crawl space.  The Yellowjacket wasps and to a lesser degree Bald Faced Hornets are usually aggressive in our apiary starting in August, attempting to enter hives and picking off stray bees at the entrance.  This year I used eigth inch cloth as an entrance reducer to allow for mite treatment.  This blocks potential wasp intrusion and robbing by other bees if you are feeding and still allows ventilation. The girls are better able to defend the reduced single entrance.  Wasps will stay active at cooler temperatures than your bees so when the girls are in cluster the wasps may enter the hive.  I don't indiscriminately kill wasps (I've identified 9 different types in our 3 acre garden including a parasitic wasp in my blue mason and leaf cutter bee cocoons) but have found them increasingly aggressive towards our colonies for a longer period of time in the fall (last year until December).  Every year I am asked to remove problem nests in our community garden.  These are either ground yellow jackets or bald faced hornets paper nests usually in bramble thickets.  I've found the pheremone lure variety wasp trap to be very effective on our greatest threat which are the common Yellowjacket wasps (does not attract Bald Faced Hornets).  This lure trap can also be used in the spring to kill the emerging wasp queens.  The Rescue brand lure variety works well but the bait only lasts for about 7 days so can be expensive. I found topping the trap up with hose water invigorates the sent of the lure and effectiveness.  For those who might think I'm removing a natural element of our ecosystem I'm not very successful as I do it every year. 

Wasp trap

You can also make your own wasp trap.  Here is a study from the University of Athens showing the effectiveness of 3 different types of traps (Wasp Traps).  Maybe the easiest and most popular is the pop bottle trap.  We have a number of these out now with a 50/50 mixture of sugar and water and a capfull of vinegar poured in the entrance to keep the bees away.  They have worked well but you need to add a capfull of vinegar occasionally to dissuade the bees.  Here is a study from the University of California on the effectiveness of different baits (Baits for the Control of Yellowjackets).  I've not had much success with fish or meat baits  later in the summer.  These protein baits are successful earlier in the season when the wasps are feeding their brood.  Wasps prefer a sugar and water bait at this time of year.  For more information on wasps go to the Wasp section of our Beekeeping Library.

  If wasp attacks or robbing persists and they gain access to your hive you can use a robber screen which are easy to make.

     Due to the homeless camp next to our hives last year we had a noticeable increase in our ground tunneling rat population this year which I believe resulted in a decrease in ground nesting yellowjacket wasps.  Charles Darwin and his children studied ground nesting bumble bees and found that the population of bumble bees was dependant on old maids who kept cats who killed the rats allowing for greater bumble bee ground nesting success.  We don't have any cats though this summer a pair of Sharp-shinned hawks moved in to help with the over population of rats.     

Equalization, Combining Colonies or Requeening     
      It is recommended that new beekeepers have 2 hives rather than 1 because inevitably one will be stronger than the other.  This allows you to strengthen the weaker hive with bees from the stronger colony (Equalization of Bee Colonies Strength by Khalil Hamdan) or to split the stronger hive if you lose the weaker colony.  Though this can be done in the spring it can also be done in preparation for winter by adding 2-3 frames of bees and brood as needed.  However, if you have a weak colony it's likely you have a sick colony or weak queen which would suggest treatment and/or requeening.  Adding frames of bees to a weak colony now won't make it a strong colony just a more populated weak colony.  You can also combine the weaker colony with a stronger one using the newspaper method (Uniting Honey Bees by David Cushman).  

    

The newspaper method of combining hives

     In October most beekeepers reduce their Langstroth hives to 2 deep supers (3 mediums) and Kenyan Top Bar hives are reduced by moving your follower board or your false backs forward (Winterizing your Top Bar Hive).  Queen excluders should be removed so the queen can move with the cluster as it moves upward

Mice    
      Though still mild it's time to think of mice which like to winter in the hives. There are a hundred different varieties of mouse proof entrances from quarter inch screened mesh, drilled metal sheet to simple nails minimizing the entrance.  The mice can get through a fairly small area and will chew through wood.  I use a simple wood entrance reducer with a nail reducing the entrance to just over the width of a bee.  This allows for the removal of dead bees which the girls do as part of winter house cleaning.  If you find the mice chewing on the entrance reducer you can wrap it in wire mesh.  Here is an easy step by step guide to making a mouse guard from Brooksfield Farm just south of us near Mt. Baker.

Difficult house cleaning

Wire mesh mouse proof entrance reducer

      

     For more information on wintering your colonies check out the recorded webinars by Kim Flottum, "Getting your hives ready for winter" or "Putting the hive to bed for winter".  You may also want to check out The Biology and Management of Colonies in Winter , Winterization Guide for Beekeeping , The Thermology of Wintering Honey Bee Colonies or Wrapping a Honey Bee Colony with Tar Paper  from the "Winter Management" section of our Beekeepers' Library.  Good luck to you and your bees and stay dry.

                            

The Effects of Vancouver City's Pesticide Spraying on Bees

     The Vancouver Park Board began it's annual pesticide spraying to remove the invasive Japanese beetle on April 3rd.  "April 3 2020 – The Vancouver Park Board is set to begin larvicide treatment to eradicate Japanese beetle larvae in more than 30 parks, boulevards, medians, and other city land beginning April 6."  This is the fourth year of treatment of an area that includes the West End, Downtown, Strathcona, Mount Pleasant, Fairview and Kitsilano neighbourhoods.  The spraying has been effective in reducing the population of this potentially devastating intruder.
  

     As stated the effects of the Japanese Beetle could be significant.  "Japanese beetle larvae feed on the roots of lawns and other plants.  Adults are heavy feeders, attacking the flowers, foliage, and fruit of more than 250 plant species, including roses, blueberries, and grapevines.  The damage they cause is significant compared to other pests like European chafer beetles." (from City of Vancouver)  Here is a mug shot of the deviant offender.

Japanese Beetle

     The pesticide they are using is the low impact, effective larvicide, Acelepryn which is produced by the agrichemical corporation Syngenta.  The active ingredient is the insecticide chlorantraniliprole.  The City claims there is no impact on anything other than the Japanese beetle ("will not impact people, pets, mammals, birds, bees, butterflies or other animals").  From the provincial government, "Why is Acelepryn being used for Japanese Beetle in B.C.?  Japanese beetle is a new invasive pest found for the first time in B.C. in the False Creek area of Vancouver in 2017. This pest is a significant threat to agriculture in B.C. An eradication program is underway to address this threat. One component of the eradication program is a larvicide treatment in areas where the beetle is known to be present. Acelepryn was selected because it has a very favourable health and environmental profile, is also very effective against Japanese beetle larvae, and does not impact mammals, birds, bees, butterflies or other animals."  
     I've heard these claims of bee friendly insecticides far too often in the past only to be proven later to have significant negative impacts.  I had to check it out.  Most of the studies I read agreed that Chlorantraniliprole had little or no effect on bees or other critters.  It was often stated that bees would not be interested in turf which it is usually applied to since there was usually no flowers and that if there were flowers in the turf that the grass should be mowed before to remove the flowers and irrigated soon after. I've been running the Vancouver seawall for many years and the part by David Lam Park since it was built after expo.  During my runs I observed the grass portion of the park covered in small flowers which were being heavily foraged upon by honey and bumble bees.  I observed them spraying on the flowers and foraging bees while I ran by.  In addition to this bumble bees nest in the ground and it's likely their nesting areas are being sprayed.  We have found over the years a problem with studies that observe the effects on bees is that they are usually not long term and do not observe the sublethal, accumulative effects (which over time become lethal).  Here are a few studies that shows a potential negative impact of  chlorantraniliprole on bee populations.

"BACKGROUND:

Pollinators such as the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, fulfil a crucial role in agriculture. In this context, tests were conducted with the insecticide chlorantraniliprole (Coragen®) as a model compound active on the ryanodine receptor of insects.

RESULTS:

Chronic oral exposure via pollen induced lethargic behaviour in B. terrestris workers and their offspring (drones). Indeed, in nests exposed to 0.4 mg L(-1) , representing 1/100 of the concentration recommended for use in the field, workers and drones did not take their defensive position upon stimulation and they were less active than non-exposed insects. The different risk assessment tests used here demonstrated that contact and pollen exposure had no effect on bumblebee worker survival, whereas oral exposure via sugar water caused both acute (72 h LC50  = 13 mg L(-1) ) and chronic (7 week LC50  = 7 mg L(-1) ) toxicity. Severe sublethal effects on reproduction were recorded in nests orally exposed to pollen treated with chlorantraniliprole.

CONCLUSION:

The present study identified an important physiological endpoint of sublethal effects on reproduction, as this is associated with lethargic behaviour after oral intake. As such, this is a factor that should now be incorporated into future risk assessments. Secondly, it confirmed that the assessment of sublethal effects on behaviour is needed for adequate risk assessment of 'potentially deleterious' compounds with a neurogenic target, as is also pointed out in the recent European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidelines (from "Dietary chlorantraniliprole suppresses reproduction in worker bumblebees")."  
     Here is a study of the effects on honey bees (Honey bees long-lasting locomotor deficits after exposure to the diamide chlorantraniliprole are accompanied by brain and muscular calcium channels alterations).
     The point here is not to vilify Acelepryn as it is a much needed low impact larvacide (not no impact as stated by city sources) but to be clear and honest about the potential impact on other living things and to take the necessary steps to reduce that impact. All pesticides are toxic to some degree. The city field (Strathcona Park) adjacent to our apiary which at present houses both honey and blue mason bees is covered in clover, yarrow and other assorted small flowers much of the growing year. Similiar to David Lam Park the field was not mowed prior to spraying this year.  Also, in the past I have requested that the Parks Board cut the field adjacent to our apiary early in the morning to minimize the killing of bees foraging on the turf flowers but as of yet they continue to cut in the middle of the day when the fields are covered in bees. Maybe some day .....

  

Honey Bee Nucs vs Packages

     Whether to buy a bee nuc or package depends like a lot of things on your location and needs.  

Nucs

     A nuc (nucleus of a colony) consists of 4-5 frames of bees in a half sized Langstroth deep box which should include a laying queen, 2 frames of brood, 2 frames of honey and/or pollen and possibly a fifth frame of drawn comb.  Local nucs for us in southern Canada are usually available starting in mid May depending on the local weather.  Imported southern queens may be used to hasten the process as our queens require temperatures of 15-20 C. (60-70 F.) to mate and for the formation of drone congregation zones.  In some locations there is a rare supply of overwintered nucs which are made in August. The benefits of using a nucleus over a package are that you have a fully functioning colony with a laying queen and brood pattern you can see.  You also have bees in all stages of development from egg to forager.  

 

Good brood pattern

     Unless it is an overwintered nuc produced in the late summer the queen is usually a new queen (born this spring). The queen is established (brood pattern visible) and the worker bees in a nucleus colony know their roles so there are nurse bees and foragers and the foundation is set (drawn comb) which will put them at least a few weeks ahead of an imported package.  Because there are foragers and at least 2 frames of honey and pollen the nucleus will not require as much feeding.  Also, with local nucs there is no climatic and forage stress. A negative aspect of nucs is they are available for us l.5-2 months later than packages and may come on old, dark colored frames and nuc boxes that may contain diseases.   

Honey frame

Packages

     A typical package consists of 2-3 pounds of bees, a can of syrup and a queen. A 3 lb package is optimum for most as a 2 lb will be underpopulated and a 4 lb may experience some die off with less accessibility to the syrup can. Normally the package bees are from production hives where they shake out bees into the package box til the required weight is reached. A mated queen is then placed in the package, protected in a queen cage.  There is usually a container of syrup in the package to feed the bees for the few days of travel before they are transferred to a hive. The bees generally fair well for up to a week in a package. A package is usually put together a few days before sold and in the case of cold weather beekeepers in spring comes from a warmer location to the south. In our case because of government restrictions (No U.S. Bees to Canada) this means thousands of miles south from New Zealand, Australia or Chile. Many backyard beekeepers will not have drawn frames to install their packages on to so a lot of energy and feeding will be required to produce the wax to draw out the frames. With a package close attention needs to spent on the survival and performance of the new queen.

A lot of energy and feeding is required to draw out the comb

The video below shows the process of creating a package of bees.

      The main advantage of the package is that in cold weather areas they are available a few months before local nucs which allows beekeepers to take advantage of spring fruit blossoms and to lengthen the beekeeping season. 

      Packages are a necessity in some areas because of the lack of nucs available.  They can be cheaper, have less pests and diseases (no comb) and can be installed into any type of hive.  Unlike the nuc you don't have bees in all stages of development and if queen acceptance and performance goes well it will take 3 weeks for new brood to be born and several weeks for the population to reach that of a 5 frame nuc.  Despite the added challenges most beekeepers have success with packages. 

     In most areas the packages come from a warmer climate so winter survival may be less likely as proven in a good, small scale study carried out in New England by master beekeeper Erin MacGregor-Forbes (Comparison of colony strength and survivability between nucs and packages).  This single study is certainly not conclusive evidence but suggests a problem with imported warm weather packages and a need for more projects like this.  Erin found a significant difference in winter survival between the southern package and nucleus (the nucs had twice the survival rate) but also found that a southern package with a replaced local queen performed as well as the nucleus. 

      In our situation bee packages may come from a similar climate but the opposite hemisphere so they leave the southern hemisphere in late summer and arrive in Canada a few days later in early Spring where it can be freezing temperatures and snowing (I have experienced this).  This obviously can be hard on the bees.  Erin also found in her study that the packages outperformed the nucs in terms of honey production which she attributed to a high rate of swarming by the nucleus colonies. I don't know if she took measures to prevent swarming but this has not been my experience .  I've not had exceptional problems with nucs swarming but have used swarm prevention methods like checkerboarding  (Check out the "Swarms" section in our Beekeepers' Library).



     The Prince William Regional Beekeepers Association in Virginia carried out a study which compared hives started from packages to those started from nucs which found a higher survival rate in nuc started hives, particularly evident in the second year (Promoting Sustainable Beekeeping Practices Through Local Production of Nucs and Local Honeybee Queens).  One aspect of their study was the importation of Africanized bee genetics and small hive beetles.  Importation of diseases and pests is perhaps the biggest challenge for beekeepers presently.  
     A survey by the Beekeepers Association of North Virginia to determine if the source of queens effected colony winter survival found significant differences between southern imported queens (23%) and local queens (87%).  While this is an extreme example I thinks it supports the theory of the benefits of the use of bees (queens or nucs) from a similar climate.

      Biologist and author Mark Winston (Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive) suggests we need to wean ourselves off of this dependence on imported bees.   In l985 he wrote "it is estimated that, at present colony densities, BC has the potential to produce 75,520 spring packages each year, and increased colony density and a higher level of commercial beekeeping could elevate this figure. Continued and increased package and nucleus production, coupled with increased wintering and queen production, could result in a high degree of Canadian self-sufficiency within the next few years (l989 Study on package and nuc production in B.C.)."  That self-sufficiency was never realized.  Large scale package and nuc production was never developed and with current 25-30% winter colony losses our dependence on imported packages will continue. The solution may be in the lowering of the winter loss rate through the development of a strong local, survivor stock with hygienic behavior and supporting the development of a large scale, local bee colony production industry.  Government initiative, leadership and support may be essential for this to be realized.

  

     In the video below Michael Palmer describes some of the difficulties associated with starting a bee hive from scratch using package bees including the lack of nurse bees for the new brood.

       Here are some questions you may want to ask your nuc supplier and some questions for queen purchasers as suggested by the BC Honey Producers Association.    For more information on nucs and packages check out "Splits, Nucs and Packages" in the Basic Beekeeping section of the Beekeepers' Library above.  Also check out the articles on overwintering nucs by Kirk Webster, Mel Disselkoen and others in the "Winter Management" section of our library.  Other comparitive studies include one from Beekeeping University which has produced a series "Nuc vs Package Bee Comparison"; Kamon Reynold's "Package vs Nuc Challenge"; and Doug the Bee Guy's "Nucs vs Package Bees".  In Vancouver BC Beekeeping and Urban Bee usually sell packages from the southern hemisphere in March-April and nucs late May-June (Vancouver Bees for Sale).  Good luck.