Winter Beehive Setup
Wrapped Beehive
I have listed below, how I have my backyard beehives set up for the winter.
Hive Stand & Base
This provides support and is the base for the hive
Bottom Vent in closed position.
The vent was set up in the closed position to reduce cold air going up the hive
Solid Bottom Board
This was added to also minimize cold wind gusts blowing into the hive
Entrance Reducer
In the winter, the Entrance Reducer plays an important role. It physically blocking pets like mice and shrew from entering into the hives
Brood Box
This is the main structure that houses the frames where the bees raise their young and store pollen, nectar and some honey.
Medium Super
This is a secondary structure slightly smaller than the Brood Box. I built this version from a Flow
Hive Brood Box.
The bees store additional nectar and honey that I don’t harvest. The bees feed on this when they have finished supplies in the Brood Box
Insulated Top Feeder Shim & Cover
This provides an easy way to provide emergency food supplies to bees if they run out of honey and nectar during long winters.
I sealed and insulated the feeder shims to prevent any condensation freezing to the bottom of the feeder shim and later dripping down as cold water droplets into the bee cluster
Insulated Roof
This protects the bees from direct exposure to the elements.
I used black plastic bee cozies to increase solar gain that will help the honeybees maintain the correct temperature for brooding. Honeybees require their brood nest to be kept at 33C/ 91.4F
Weight & Anchored Strap
The concrete blocks and ratchet straps ensure that the hives are not blown off during extreme winter weather events
They are so many different ways to winterize beehives. This is one of many.
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