GETTING THE BEEHIVES READY FOR WINTER

 Bee hives will eventually get infested with a parasite called the Varroa mite. If left untreated the Varroa will weaken and destroy the hive. We regularly check our hives for Varroa and if the mite infestation is sufficient, we treat with either Oxalic acid vapor or Formic acid. Oxalic acid is an organic compound found in nature within many plants, including vegetables, leafy greens, fruits, nuts, and seeds while formic acid is an organic acid that is naturally present within honeybee colonies. There are other non-organic treatments available but we’ve had good success with these treatments so far and like the idea of treating with naturally occurring substances. There is an enormous amount of information available online if you’d like to learn more about the Varroa mite and the available treatments. I’ve included a few links below.

For Oxalic acid treatment. We use a device from  Lorob Bees called InstantVap to apply the treatment. The device heats the acid to create a vapor that is then injected into the hive. Each treatment only takes a few minutes. 

For the Formic acid treatment we use a product called Formic Pro. These are pads saturated with the acid solution that are placed in the hive directly on top of the frames. The treatment takes 14 or 20 days depending on the process you use.

https://lorobbees.com/

https://beelab.umn.edu/varroa-mites

https://nodglobal.com/what-makes-formic-acid-so-special/

https://www.perfectbee.com/a-healthy-beehive/threats-to-bees/a-beekeepers-guide-to-using-oxylic-acid

Raising bees involves specific activities for each season. During the fall we started monitoring the food stores to make sure the bees had enough to make it through the winter. To do this you can either inspect the hives to see how much honey is stored or you can lift the hive to estimate its weight. A double 8 frame brood hive should weigh about 80 ibs going into winter (bees + hives + honey). We estimate weight by lifting the back of the hive up off of the stand. We’re not totally confident yet in our ability to estimate if the bees have enough food so we decided to feed. 

We started feeding a simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water by weight) in early fall.  We added a supplement called HoneyBee Healthy to the syrup that is thought to stimulate feeding. This stuff is expensive and you can find recipes online to make your own for a fraction of the cost. Once daytime temperatures reach the mid fifties (Fahrenheit) it’s generally advised to stop feeding syrup and switch to a sugar brick if feeding is still necessary. 

We weren’t certain if our bees had enough food stores after feeding the syrup, so we decided to supplement their existing stores with sugar bricks for a little insurance. 

For feeding syrup we use an inverted canning jar with a bunch of small holes (maybe 1/16th of an inch dia.) punched in the lid. The jars are placed in a wooden stand so the bees can access the syrup as it slowly drips through the holes. The feeder is placed in an empty hive box that is placed on top of the brood hive where most of the bees live. Our bees were typically consuming 1-2 quarts of syrup per week. There are a lot of different feeder types available. The jars are nice because they are easy to clean and you can check syrup levels at a glance.

The sugar bricks we use for overwinter feeding are primarily sugar with a small amount of water. It’s also common to add vinegar to prevent mold growth and certain essential oils thought to stimulate feeding. We place the bricks in a wooden frame with a screened bottom that sits on top of the hive brood frames. Click on Hone on this website to find a detailed description for starter bee hives. A good instructional article on how to make the bricks is here: https://wildreidranch.com/diy-sugar-brick-recipe-for-bees/