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October 4, 2013

Prep for the 2014 bee winter

It's that time again beeks. Your actions or inaction's over the next 90 days will have a key role in IF you have bees for next year.  Starvation continues to be a huge problem.  With the every changing climate you must prepare and act for changing weather.

Starting in no certain order:
An insulated top
  1. Change to a heavier sugar syrup now.  Time is running out for the extra water to evaporate.
  2. Make the sugar blocks and any equipment needed to hold them.  This is your insurance against an early spring or weird winter starvation event.
  3. Cleanup the apiary. 
  4. Build the mouse and animal guards.
  5. If your going to treat chemically, get busy.
  6. Merge weak hives.
  7. Insulate the hives. Top, bottom and sides, control wind.
  8. Have water available during the winter. Many ways available.
  9. Clean the bottom boards.
  10. Order catalogs for next year and place your bee orders NOW.
  11. Switch bottom board to elevated bottoms.  This is old school, if you don't know how, leave a comment.
  12. Start reducing the amount of outside accesses.
  13. How deep is your snow? Adjust bottom boards accordingly.
  14. Pull final honey harvest.

A wind break
Tar paper insulation

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