Preparing the hives for winter

[Riverrat]

Its that time of the year where we finally put the lid on the hive for a few months.  The new keeps will worry if the girls will make it through the winter.  What do you do for winter prep in your area.  Here in South central Kansas I still have 2:1 feed on one hive that I am over wintering in a nuc 5 on 5. Come spring I will split into 2.  The 2nd hive lost the queen when I was moving to 10 frame equipment.  There is signs they made a new queen so I am waiting to see if she starts laying.  If she starts laying I am ging to reduce the hive back into a nuc 5 on 5 feed and hope I can get a couple rounds of new brood through the hive to over winter with.  If they look like they are not going to make winter I am going to combine.  I still have to put entrance reducers on then I am pretty much ready for the winter

[Marion]

I have only been feeding a slow drip of 1:1 sugar water to help them draw out new foundation. They are still very busy bringing in pollen and nectar from goldenrod, asters and knotweed. Should I start feeding the 2:1 syrup now or wait a couple of weeks? It was 51 degrees last night but 76 during the day. I live in Massachusetts and I'm going into my first winter with one hive.

[Papakeith]

My situation isn't too dissimilar from Marion.
Here is RI I've still got pumpkin, squash, raspberries, and goldenrod blooming.  We are still having 80 degree days and low 60s for night time temps.

I have some nucs that I am feeding 1-1.  mature colonies are still working on supers. 
I haven't decided exactly when I'll be pulling the supers, but I would imagine it will be some point in the next week or two.
Once the supers are off I'll check for stores and feed 2:1 if necessary or just place a super on the single deep hives for the winter.
Reducers and mouse guards will go on in later October (sooner if there is a killing frost) once the last of the goldenrod is gone.

I'll wrap them up in tar paper at some point in November.

[Riverrat]

I have only been feeding a slow drip of 1:1 sugar water to help them draw out new foundation. They are still very busy bringing in pollen and nectar from goldenrod, asters and knotweed. Should I start feeding the 2:1 syrup now or wait a couple of weeks? It was 51 degrees last night but 76 during the day. I live in Massachusetts and I'm going into my first winter with one hive.

Are they still drawing foundation if so your pretty  lucky its hard to get them to draw this late.  If you are wanting to encourage a round of brood to get new bees to go into winter I would do the 1:1 if you are wanting stores go to 2:1. Be careful of the 1:1 this late it may creat a problem later on if there is extra moisture in the hive

[Marion]

OK. As I look around, the knotweed is over and the goldenrod is heading that way. I think I will start the 2:1. I do not have any supers to put on for the winter. I will be feeding the fondant then. Thanks, papakeith, for the timeline.

[barry42001]

Check your hives stores to see if you have to. You may find you don't need to. But one way or the other you will then know for certain.

[Papakeith]

ohh, forgot about the knotweed. Still in bloom around here too

[Yankee11]

Goldenrod here has just started to bloom. I pulled all honey this weekend and my hives are all now configured as 2 deeps and a pulled comb super no excluder. The haves are already heavy with them back filling the upper deep with nectar. They dont have to pull any comb so they should be able to store quiet a bit.

I figure with goldenrod just starting they will fill the upper deep and a super.

[riverbee]

great thread riverrat!

just took the honey supers off to extract (a little late for me).  checked the stores in the second deep and checked stores in the first deep. i looked to see that the bees had back filled and packed away honey in the second deep and on the outside frames of the first deep.  looked pretty good, could have a little more weight for my liking. when i took the supers off, i gave them a few honey frames/feeder frames on top the inner cover rather than 2:1 syrup. frames saved for feeding bees. our weather is still pretty good, some really cool nights, next few days daytime temps dropping down to 50 and rain in the forecast. goldenrod is almost done, and some other honey plaints. Japanese bamboo is in full bloom but will be done pretty quick.  shhh don't tell my county forester i still have some of this.......

will continue to check that second deep to ensure it's packed away until weather really goes far north and cold. (not south...... ) i have a few feeder frames to add above the inner cover for them to take down if needed, and if i think the bees will need anything when it gets colder, i will place a winter patty in and replace on warm days during winter months.  hardware cloth goes on for mouse guards; 2 inches of insulation goes on underneath the inner cover and hives are wrapped before or around thanksgiving.  i hope our bee winter isn't too long like last year.

marion feed 2:1 now.  here, if i need to, i can feed 2:1 syrup no later than mid october.  the bees need time to 'cure' 'dry' down the syrup so as not to cause or add moisture problems in the hive.

[Marion]

I took off my super which had only one frame beginning to be drawn out just a little. I placed on my feeder and gave them the 2:1 syrup into which I had mixed a teaspoon of fumagilin-b. I read where here up north it is a good thing to add with the fall feeding.

The nights are getting colder here. Friday and Saturday they are predicting 44 to 45. Plus I have elevation which makes it even chillier.

Thanks for the advice.

[tmrschessie]

Since your talking about this how about a "How  to get ready for beginner's" Starting with the inspection, what to look for, what to insure the bees have for space, stores, covering or not...etc. I have a couple of new bee keepers living in the northern sand hills here in Nebraska that will be joining here shortly and that is one of the first things they and quite possibly other new bee keeps might want to know. Pictures would be nice also. Thank You. Tom 

[riverbee]

"how about a "How  to get ready for beginner's" Starting with the inspection, what to look for, what to insure the bees have for space, stores, covering or not...etc."

tom, excellent idea.  start a thread in beekeeping 101 with that title and give your experience, what you would tell a beginner, to start it off.

[iddee]

Tom, you might want to take a look at this......


http://www.worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/index.php/topic,688.0.html

[riverbee]

iddee, that's a good one!

(i forgot about that file  )

[Dunkel]

I'd love to hear someone evaluating about ten hives for a specific time of year.  Come to think of it that would be a good personal resource if I could do it for myself.   I won't though, I can't even seem to jot things down when I need too.    I do however enjoy that part the most, especially after being away from them for several weeks.  I enjoy the afterglow of thinking everything for the most part is ok, I guess because I have had so many experiences the other way.  I would like to view some of my earlier assessments and notice how naïve I was.  If everything is ok your probably not thinking far enough ahead.