Do bees hibernate in houses

Honey bees are masters at overwintering. But for the most part, our modern-day honey bees find themselves living in manmade structures that are not like the homes they would have built for themselves. To compensate for the difference, a beekeeper often has to tweak the hives to prepare the bees for long periods of confinement.

And since all beekeeping is local, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for preparing.

A South Carolina winter is not like a Minnesota winter, and an eastern Washington winter is not like a western Washington winter.

What month do bees die off

To develop a successful overwintering strategy, each beekeeper must evaluate his own microclimate, which dictates things like precipitation, humidity, temperatures, wind, and hours of sunlight.

But your microclimate is just one parameter.

You also need to consider your colony strength, the prevalence and type of wintertime pests, and the type of hive you are using.

Wintertime monitoring

In my own operation, winter prep begins in August and ends in October.

However, even after all the steps are taken, I monitor constantly until spring is wel

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