As the weather cools down in Central Texas, beekeepers know that it’s time to start preparing their colonies for the winter months. Winterizing your active bee colonies requires some special considerations to ensure their health and survival. In this blog, I will share some valuable tips and insights to help you support your bees through the winter and set them up for a successful Spring.

Lessons Learned from Past Winters

In my experience, the main reasons for colony loss during winter are weak colonies and lack of honey and pollen. It’s essential to ensure your bees have enough food to sustain them until the spring nectar flow begins. A good rule of thumb is to leave around 60-80 pounds of honey stores per hive. However, if your honey stores are light, consider feeding your bees sugar water at a 2-1 ratio to build reserves.

I prefer to feel my colonies with a custom Hive Top Feeder. This internal feeder is the best type to feed the colonies without disturbing them while protecting the bees from the sun and robber bees trying to come inside and the internal feeder holds one gallon of sugar water supplement.

Preparing for Freezes

Central Texas winters are generally mild, but we’ve experienced three-day freeze events in recent years. During these events, honey bees cluster together to conserve heat and energy by alternately vibrating their muscles to generate heat. However, if they exhaust their internal body reserves, they can freeze in mass. I’ve seen dead clusters of bees in the middle of loaded honey frames because they won’t break cluster to eat honey.

To prevent this, I recommend adding sugar bricks before freezing temperatures and replacing them into spring. Another tip is to add a sheet of newspaper on the frames and add a cup of dry cane sugar. This will help the bees stock up on internal reserves before the long freeze and survive longer. An added benefit is that the dry sugar will also absorb any condensation before it chills the bees.

Supporting Weak Colonies

Weak hives can be combined with strong colonies and still stay separate. This is achieved by stacking colonies with double screen boards in between. This allows the heat to rise from the bottom and the strong hive on the bottom keeps the weaker, upper colonies warm. By combining colonies in this way, you can increase their chances of survival.

Monitoring for Disease and Pests

Regularly inspect your hives for any signs of disease or infestation, and act promptly if you notice any issues. As the colony’s population decreases during the winter, they can become more susceptible to issues like nosema and varroa mites. Consider performing oxalic acid vapor treatment in late winter to help control varroa mite populations.

Final Tips for a Healthy Hive

Finally, be mindful of the potential for winter rain and flooding in Central Texas, and make sure your hives are elevated and secure to prevent water from entering the hive.

By taking these steps, you’ll be helping your bees stay healthy and strong throughout the winter months and setting them up for a successful spring.