Northern Illinois in Winter
This brief outline provides a few suggestions for wintering honey bees in Northern Illinois. If you'd like to know more or have a tip & trick you'd like to share please let us know.
There are many websites that provide detailed instructions for wintering bees. When reading keep in mind what region of the country the writer is offering information from and make the necessary adjustment for your bees. The information they offer may be correct but not correct for northern Illinois.
From early November through January the colony is spending energy keeping the winter cluster warm. The queen with her eggs and sperm need to be kept at a constant temperature, around 94.5 degree. Her temperature can fluctuate but shouldn't fluctuate rapidly. The bees usually won't consume to much of their honey/pollen stores during this portion of the winter. Nevertheless expect your queen to begin laying eggs by mid February (even earlier depending on the weather). brood they raise in mid winter provides the colony with young bees to replace older bees that dying off as winter progress. Like everything there is a trade off for this activity. Your bees will begin consuming a much larger portion of their resource stores. You'll need to monitor those stores closely until blooms are plenty.
Your first question before each hive visit should be, "what is the goal?". Have a plan before visiting your hive in the winter. You'll want your inspection and adjustments to be brief. The following maintenance thoughts should give you a few things to consider while your bees prepare for their next phase; raising young in freezing temps. It's best to check your hive mid-day, when it is sunny with temps around 50 F. Don't keep it open for to long ( 5 minutes) and take care not to split the cluster.
EVALUATE & CORRECT:
This past fall you should have implemented a few winter preparations. It's a good time now to check on those and make sure everything is as intended.
- Quilt box - if you placed a quilt box on your hives make sure the moisture trapping material is still dry. If not change it.
- Entrance - Make sure your bottom entrance is free of dead bees and unblock the top entrance if it's plugged. Heat rises. Providing an entrance/exit at the top of your hive during winter is best. It's difficult for bees to use the bottom entrance during winter. This means they won't be able to get out for cleansing flights when necessary. Bacteria will build in their gut during long winter period without cleansing flights. This can result in dysentery.
- Ventilation - Clearing the entrances described above will help. Also, be sure moisture isn't trapped above the bees. A winter cluster expels plenty of warm moist air. This moist air rises to the hive top forming condensation that will freeze on cold days/nights. When the days warms again that frozen condensation will thaw and drip on the cluster. If this occurs the bees won't survive. Check for condensation on candy boards, inner covers or lids. Correct it as quickly as possible.
- Hive Wrap - Some people wrap their hives or use a hive cozy. Check it often to make sure it's still on or functioning as you intend.
- Food - Check your pollen & honey stores. This is the trickiest task. It's possible you'll want to re-position frames of honey so they are reachable for the bees. Be careful how you re-position frames. I've seen inferred images showing where the cluster is positioned daily in the winter. It was interesting to note the cluster moving all around the hive box and not straight up as one would think. The bees do eventually move up and you'll want them to be near resources when they do. They need lots of honey as well as pollen to raise new bees. You'll also want to be sure there is plenty of empty comb near the resources so the queen can lay eggs in February. Keep in mind the bees use wax comb to help them radiate heat. Empty comb has a purpose.
- Sugar - If your bees are running out of food it's a good time now to place a sugar board with pollen substitute. Make sure there is still plenty of ventilation through and around your candy board.
