We cannot go deep into our bee hives in the winter, but it is good advice to make a brief inspection of our hives on warm winter days. Breaking hive boxes apart and removing brood frames in cold temperatures risks chilling and killing brood. On warmer days, we can open the hive covers and quickly look inside, simply looking for evidence that the bee colonies are alive and that they have adequate food to survive the remainder of the winter. We may see live bees in a hive as soon as we remove the covers, however the bees may be clustered lower in the hive and not immediately visible. In this case, we can usually determine that we have living bees by removing a frame from the center of the uppermost box to view below. If the colony is dead, we should protect the precious comb-covered frames by stacking them above the frames of a strong hive or placing them in a freezer. We can estimate the amount of stored honey in a hive by lifting the back of our hives an inch with our fingers. Any hives that feel light in weight are likely lacking in stored honey and in need of emergency feeding. As bees are reluctant to consume liquid sugar syrup in cold weather, we may feed bees dry sugar atop the inner covers of the hives. A shim placed between the inner and outer covers allows us to place plenty of sugar on the inner cover.
While existing beekeepers are checking on their
overwintering hives, they are also sharing their experience with individuals
preparing to start beekeeping. Local beekeeping associations are offering short
courses to introduce people to the art and skill of beekeeping. The Ozark
Foothills Beekeepers Association held two sessions of its Beekeeping 101 class,
and is preparing for a Beekeeping 201 class to be followed in the summer by a
class on harvesting and processing honey. An exceptionally large honey bee visited
the class.
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