Winter Prep (a little late...)

Not much has happened since the fall. In November I put on some jars of sugar syrup, but probably not enough. During the week of Christmas the weather wasn't too bad, so I finally did my winter prep, which consists of:

• Remove any feed jars and extra supers (which are simply covering the jars)
• Close up the screened bottom boards with pink styrofoam boards
• Add 2" shims under the inner cover in preparation for any winter feeding (provides extra space for the sugar candy)
• Add styrofoam insulation in between the inner and outer cover
• Add mouseguards to the entrances

I was a little late in doing this, so I took a flashlight to make sure there were no mice in the hive (don't want to trap them in!). When I opened the backyard hives, I saw the bees at the top of the bars. So I'll make up some sugar candy feed and put some on early just in case they don't have enough food. It's not perfect, but it'll let them survive.

Here are the backyard hives ready for winter. Note that I don't wrap them - they sit against the woods, which provides enough wind break (in my opinion).

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P.S. Being a beekeeper, I always am the recipient of interesting bee-related gifts. Here's what my stepmom sent me for Christmas! :-)