All summer, little toilers collect honey, which is then taken away by people. And there is a long winter ahead and there is no opportunity to get food. Therefore, so that the bees can normally winter and not lose their strength, they must be fed.
Important! In the winter hut, roofs are removed from the hives and the pillows are turned away (if the temperature is positive). There is no need to shelter houses too in the winter house.
How to prepare bees for winter?
Wintering is a difficult period in the life of bees. They fly into their hive in early autumn and leave it with the advent of spring. During this time, they never defecate. Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure that this period in the life of insects is as comfortable as possible. Usually the last autumn flight of the bee is carried out in the twentieth of September.
By this time, you need to have time to complete the work on equipping the hives for the winter on time, as well as to prepare food. The framework from which brood has recently emerged, with a small amount of honey, is withdrawn. In their place are put replacement frames with honey. Each frame must have at least 2 kg of feed. Perga is left in a minimal amount.
You also need to consider that there should be no more frames with food than the number of frames that bees can occupy. Extra frames are stored in the storage. During cleaning, replace the painted canvases with clean ones so that air can pass better. At the same time, plywood with slats is placed on the upper bars of the frame under the canvas. With a decrease in honey collection, the number of letlets decreases.
First of all, all the upper ones are closed, and the lower ones are gradually covered until there is a gap of 3.5–5 cm. In the first ten days of September, you need to have time to move the hive to the winter hut, so that in the first ten days of November, when steady colds come, you can immediately move beehive in the wintry.
It must be transferred extremely carefully and quickly so that the insects are less nervous. The hive should be located so that everyone has free access. If you plan an open wintering, then the hive must be insulated on all sides with thick airtight cushions.
Did you know? One bee family includes about 50 thousand insects.
Why feed bees in the fall?
Winter is the period when the bees rest and gain strength before the new working season. And for the insects to rest normally, they need to eat well. After all, in the winter they will heat themselves, spending a huge amount of energy, which must be received from somewhere.
Therefore, the objectives of autumn dressing are:
- compensation for honey reserves that were removed by beekeepers;
- treatment and prevention of diseases;
- replacing honeydew and that which crystallizes quickly with a better one.
Properly and timely organized top dressing is the guarantee that the bees calmly winter and begin spring work with renewed vigor.
Important! Do not use a sour product for feeding, even after any kind of treatment.
When do bees need to be fed?
The beginning of the feeding period and its end depends on the region. So, in the southern regions and in the Caucasus they can be fed up to October 15th. In northern areas with severe winters, feeding can last several days in September. More accurately determine the beginning of the feeding period will help the completion of the main bribe and pumping honey.
In the temperate zone, this is usually August. You can feed on the first week of September inclusive. Later, it is not advisable to give top dressing, since insects that have just been born begin to be included in the processing of syrup. Intensive intake of nutrients into the nest can mislead the uterus.
She will think that there are still bribes and will begin to lay eggs again. Because of this, young animals will be born earlier and will not be able to endure until spring, and empty their intestines in the hive, which will entail the development of diseases.
How to feed bees in the fall?
Most often, to feed the bees, use syrup or honey.
Did you know? 420 kg of honey — this is the maximum that one bee family can collect from a honey hive per season.
Sugar Syrup Nutrition
Everyone who is interested in beekeeping knows that it is best to use syrup for feeding insects. It must be cooked correctly, with strict observance of the proportions of the components, otherwise the bees will spend a lot of energy on its processing. Ideal ratio of components: 3: 2, where 3 parts of sugar and 2 parts of water. You can add a little acetic acid to the mixture.
To make the syrup nutritious, sugar for it must be taken of the highest quality. During cooking, the water is brought to a boil, but it should not boil so that the syrup does not burn. Cook the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. 0.3 ml / kg of sugar of diluted vinegar essence is added to the finished warm syrup with a temperature of 40 ° C. In one feeding you need to give no more than 5 liters of syrup.
Honey dressing
Based on the crystallized honey, a syrup is prepared. It is much healthier and more nutritious than sugar. You just need to dilute it to the usual consistency of honey. It often happens that it seems that the honey collection went well, and the uterus remained in the hive, and there was enough brood, but the bees do not take food.
There are several reasons for this phenomenon:
- There may be many bees, but this amount is not enough to simultaneously maintain the desired microclimate in the hive and transfer the syrup.
- A strong bribe has opened, which can cause bees to continue honey collection.
- The insect was struck by an ailment.
- Syrup of poor consistency, tasteless or sour.
- At the end of the honey collection, bad weather was established and the uterus stopped worming and did not resume egg laying after feeding began. The "old" toilers were exhausted, and the young were not enough to carry food.
- The uterus is already old and is not able to maintain the brood in the right amount, which is why there is no one to wear syrup.
Is it possible to feed in the winter?
In winter, feeding bees is not recommended, as overfeeding can cause premature bowel movement. Food stocks need to be formed in advance and calculated so that they are enough for wintering. If the situation is critical, then you can feed, but not earlier than the end of February - beginning of March.
Earlier feeding will awaken the family, this will strengthen the laying process. Feeding bees in the autumn is very important. It allows young toilers to replenish the supply of nutrients they need for a normal winter. Without it, it is very difficult for bees to survive.
