Feeding Honeybees in Winter

Reader Contribution by Julia Miller
Published on November 15, 2013
1 / 2
2 / 2

Sometimes it is necessary to feed honeybees through the winter which can be accomplished by several methods. That is the position we find ourselves in here on Five Feline Farm after two colonies have struggled through the fall with apparent robber bees.

A colony of honey bees needs 30 to 60 pounds of honey stored going into winter. This is the equivalent of 8 to 9 full frames. This provides enough to keep the cluster alive through winter and early spring until the nectar starts to flow again.

Even during a cold winter, there will be opportunities to open the hive for a quick addition of food. My hope is to have at least one viable day each month or so when the temperature hits near 50 degrees to slip some food into the hive.

The choice then becomes what method or medium to use in delivering food for the cluster. Below are the options we have tried or considered along with my opinion about each. The first two are proprietary mixes available for order from bee supply companies.

Winter Patties

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368