What Now? November

Between Boxes
Bee especially careful about cracking open hives with brittle propolis as it will not get warm enough for those seals, carefully placed by the bees, to mesh together again. Green Frog tape is often a good backup should getting into supers be necessary. Blue painters tape may be less expensive.

Feeders still on?
Bees need to be able to fly to do cleansing flights when you’re feeding sugar syrup. If the feeders are still on, think about taking them off. Glass will freeze and break. Bees will not have time in cold months to reduce syrup to honey. If feeding is necessary, consider winter patties or fondant.

Types of Winter Feed
Think about getting your winter feed together. If you plan to use sugar fondant, be sure to get them ordered so when your bees need them you can put them on. You would not want them to starve while the fondant is being shipped. If you plan to make your own fondant, be sure to have your ingredients on hand for the same reason. Remember, never cook sugar for bees. Pastry fondant is not the same as what you would feed bees. Keep it simple, white sugar and water. See Ann Harman's article - click here.

Storing Drawn Frames
Make sure your stored drawn comb is protected from wax moths. It is heart breaking to see all that drawn comb ruined that your bees worked so hard to make. Storing frames in the cold will kill wax moths. Exposure at 20 degrees F will kill them after 4 ½ hrs. If they are stored at warm temps, you may want to consider using wax moth crystals.

To Wrap or Not To Wrap
Hives get wrapped by Thanksgiving weekend. Wrap and or insulate per your preference.

Those Pesky Mice... and Voles etc.
If you haven’t done so already, be sure to put your mouse guards on - but make sure a mouse does not get trapped inside. Look inside the entrance with a flashlight. If you do not see mouse nesting material on the bottom board, you may be ok. If you do, you need to get it out of there otherwise the mouse could cause severe damage over the winter.

Winter Winds
If your hives are out in the open, consider creating a wind break if you did not plan your apiary location with this in mind.