Your Bees in December

Bee on pink camellia flowers

By now, winter preparations should be done: absorbent material is in your inner covers, rain covers and wind breaks have been installed, and your bees are eating away at their voluminous winter stores.

There really isn’t much to buzz about in December, there is one thing you can do. Every day take a glance at the weather forecast and look for feeding weather.

Follow these guidelines for winter feeding:

  • If you find a day where the temperature is 55 degrees with minimal wind and no rain, then you can pop into your hive for a quick feed!
  • Try to keep your hive visits brief, within 5-10 minutes, to reduce the risk of chilling your hive.
  • If you feel too much time has passed between feedings and you are worried about the amount of food stores in your hive, you can do a very quick feed when temperatures are as low as 50 degrees, but any lower than that and you could do more harm than good by opening the hive. 

When feeding in winter, make sure to only feed dry food! Sugar syrup cannot be processed by bees during winter and will only contribute to the moisture in your hive. We suggest dry granulated sugar sprinkled over the frames, but fondant cakes work well too.

In December, your hive is still broodless and doesn’t need much protein, so when feeding make sure to stick to a winter protein (4% protein).


Winter Beekeeping Tips Video

For some extra tips and additional guidance, watch this short video made to demonstrate the essentials needed to help your bees make it through winter.

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