Preparing bees for winter is a multifaceted activity

Bees are insects that do not enter a state of hibernation for the winter. As the external temperature of the swarm decreases, the number of individuals in which it can reach up to 20,000 moves to the depth of the hive and gathers into a so-called club. Insects reduce the metabolism and slowly move, feeding on stored honey. Inside the club, due to the movement, the temperature is maintained at +15 C. The uterus is most often found here.

Preparation of bees for winter is impossible without appropriate arrangement of their home. Specialists noted that bee swarms tolerate even very low temperatures in the absence of drafts, therefore it is desirable to place beehives under cover of shrub protection, in depressions, near the buildings. For the winter, each apiary should be wrapped in dark pergamine, roofing felt or roofing felt on three sides (the side of the flight to the south is left free). In areas with a windy or humid climate, all four sides need to be wrapped, so that the material is snug against the walls of the hive. Bees in this case can not get out under the wrapper and die.

Preparation of bees for winter at will is completed by installing inclined flaps to the front wall to protect against wind and precipitation. In the future, the hives are covered with snow, which is an excellent heat insulator. Also, the possible way of wintering is the transfer of the apiary elements for the winter to the underground houses, underground or semi-underground winterhouses, where the temperature is maintained at 0-4 С and humidity is about 75%.

The preparation of bees for winter begins in fact in the summer when in July they take two honeycomb frames with honey (on each side of the bee nest) and place it in the sink until the end of autumn. This product is less prone to crystallization and contains little moisture. Eating such a product in winter reduces anxiety of bees, and also reduces the likelihood of death from diarrhea. In cold regions (North, Siberia, the Urals), for each bee family it is necessary to have about 30 kg of honey in reserve, in southern regions - at least 25 kg. Without enough fodder honey, bees do not hibernate well and bring a bad harvest in the new season.

The preparation of bees for winter includes additional feeding for the acquisition of sufficient strength by the swarm. A strong family forms a large club, evenly consumes honey, it is well overflown in the spring. To create additional food, 50-60 percent sugar syrup is used, which is given by insects in August at the rate of 5 to 8 kilograms per family. The technology of feeding is quite simple: empty beans are placed in the hives during the day, which are filled with syrup in the evening.

Feeding of bees for the winter can also be done with a fodder batter made from honey and powdered sugar, to which antibiotics, vitamins and protein supplements are added. In this case, the product in the form of a flat cake wrapped in polyethylene or parchment, make a cut and placed above the nest of bees. To replace all honey with top-dressing is inexpedient, since insects do not receive all necessary nutrients and quickly perish.

How to prepare bees for winter? A special place in a complex of measures is the treatment of families from diseases of the infectious and invasive plan. For this purpose, in autumn, at ambient temperatures from zero to +12 C, bee colonies are passed through a thermocamera + 46-48 C, where up to 90% of mites that cause varroatosis die. In addition, from the same disease get rid of such chemicals as "Bipin", "Fumisan", "Apilinol", "Apidez", which fall swarms are processed (after pumping honey, but before collecting the swarm in the club).