Closing Time

It was mid October and night temperatures had veered towards the freezing point or below. Time for all good bees to stay inside and keep the queen warm!

I'd noticed fewer bees leaving the hive during the day along with shortened days of activity. I'd done the final check of the hive and was ready to help them hunker down for the cooler months.

My first priority was to create adequate ventillation for the hive. In the winter, the bees cluster together, creating an internal temperature well past the 70s. With the freezing outside temperature against the walls of the hive, the heat generated by the hundreds of beating bee wings creates condensation inside of the hive. Condensation is, as far as I can tell, the biggest threat to an otherwise healthy hive as it overwinters.

If the liquid rises and coats the inside lid - and is not able to escape - it can pool and drip down onto the cluster. Imagine, a chilled droplet of water falling from the icy hive roof into the warm nest of bees. It damages their carefully calibrated temperature and can cause great harm to the cluster.

To prevent this, I glued matchsticks to the inner cover and pushed the outer cover forward, creating an opening across the top of the hive, so that air could breeze through and escape from under the eaves of the outer cover. (See photo.)

Finally, I closed up the hive and did a sweep across the floor of the hive. It's important to check for mice, who would love to snuggle inside and eat honey all winter. I put the entrance reducer in place with the larger gap as the opening. This both prevents drafts and gives the bees plenty of space to get out. (The smaller opening could be blocked by dead bee bodies as the population continues to drop.)

They're all inside and hopefully ready for what's coming. The only other thing I can do for them is to build a windbreak, wrap the hive in black roofer's paper and put a rock on top of the hive to prevent the cover from being blown off should any harsh winds hit. I will do those things if I feel like conditions get to be excruciating, but as for now, it's been fairly mild. I hope they make it...