Honey Bee Wintering: Best Practices for a Healthy Colony

Today we talk about wintering in temperate climate zones, where bees form winter clusters.

Winter is the most difficult season for honey bees, and without proper preparation, colonies can suffer heavy losses. As temperatures drop, food becomes scarce, and moisture can create dangerous conditions inside the hive. Many beekeepers struggle with these issues every year, often realizing too late that something has gone wrong.

Understanding how to prepare a colony for winter and what to watch out for during the season can make the difference between a hive that survives and one that collapses. Below, we go over key factors to consider, including food quality, moisture control, common wintering problems, and solutions to help your bees make it through until spring.

1. The Role of Food Quality in Winter Survival

Is Honey a Good Winter Food?

Honey is a natural food source for bees, but its composition matters a lot when it comes to wintering. The nectar bees collect determines whether the stored honey is suitable for winter:

• High-glucose honey crystallizes quickly, becoming too hard for bees to consume.
• High-fructose honey stays soft and is much easier for bees to digest.

Beekeepers also need to be cautious about honeydew honey, which is collected from tree sap rather than flowers. This type of honey can cause nosema disease, a common issue in winter when bees are confined to the hive for long periods. Since it’s difficult to tell exactly what nectar sources were used, some beekeepers prefer to feed bees an alternative sugar-based diet instead.

Using Sugar-Based Feeds in Winter

Bees can process sugar if given the right type at the right time. In autumn, bees produce invertase, an enzyme that breaks down disaccharides (complex sugars) into glucose and fructose, which they can easily consume. However, winter bees no longer have access to protein, which is necessary for producing this enzyme.

One of the traditional feeds used in beekeeping is candy dough, a mixture of ¼ honey and ¾ powdered sugar. While this was once popular, it is not suitable for winter feeding unless the sugar has already been inverted. If bees do not have the ability to break down the sugar themselves, they will consume their own protein reserves, weakening them further.

If sugar-based feed must be used, the best option is pre-inverted sugar syrup rather than standard sugar mixtures.

How to Provide Extra Food in Winter

• If honey is crystallized, bees will struggle to eat it. The best way to fix this is to crush it into small pieces and put it in a bag so that bees can access the soft parts.
• If emergency feeding is necessary, a honeycomb from the brood chamber can be placed on its side inside the hive on top of the bars.

What to Avoid

• Never give liquid feed in winter, as it can stimulate unwanted egg-laying.
• Do not heat any supplemental food before feeding. If bees cluster around a warm food source, they may abandon their lower food stores, leading to starvation.

2. Common Wintering Problems and Their Solutions

Panic in the Hive

When strong colonies finish the food in the center of the hive, they often reach the back of the hive where less food is stored. If no food is available, the bees can become restless and stressed, leading to:

• Rapid food consumption
• Increased activity, which results in dysentery

Solution: keep an eye on food supplies and ensure the cluster does not reach the back of the hive without access to more food. If necessary, add additional stores before it’s too late.

Cluster Not Moving to Upper Hive Box

Sometimes, the winter cluster stays in the lower hive box, even when food is available in the upper box. This happens for a few reasons:

• The lower box still has sufficient food
• A cold air gap exists between the boxes

Solution: remove two frames from the upper box, keep them at room temperature overnight, and replace them in the morning. This helps encourage the bees to move upward.

If brood is present in the lower box, bees will remain there instead of moving up. In that case, adding two brood frames to the upper box can encourage movement.

Colony Freezing

Some colonies appear normal but fail to move upwards and freeze in place. These bees often show no signs of dysentery or disease, but upon opening the hive, the colony appears lifeless.

Solution: take a few bees indoors and see if they revive. If at least half of them show signs of life, an emergency recovery may be possible:

1. Move the colony into a warm space.
2. Lightly spray the bees with sugar syrup to encourage activity.
3. If the colony regains movement, return them outdoors if they seem strong enough. Weak colonies may need to remain indoors for further monitoring.

Tip: before winter, weak colonies should be combined rather than left to struggle alone. Two weak colonies have a much better chance of survival together.

3. The Dangers of Moisture Build-Up in the Hive

When bees digest carbohydrates and fats, their metabolism produces water as a byproduct. Normally, this moisture is removed through the trachea, but when a hive is too well insulated, the moisture gets trapped inside.

How Excess Moisture Harms Bees

• Too much humidity makes it harder for bees to eliminate metabolic water, leading to digestive problems.
• Excess moisture encourages the growth of nosema disease, even in strong colonies with good food stores.

Solution:

• Ensure proper ventilation to allow excess moisture to escape.
• Avoid over-insulating the hive, as it can make humidity worse rather than protecting the bees.

4. Winter Cleansing Flights

Bees need to leave the hive for cleansing flights to relieve waste buildup in their intestines. Please note that the timing provided below can differ based on the region.

Types of Cleansing Flights

1. Test Flights (Mid-February) – Some bees take early flights, but if snow is present, they may become disoriented and die.
2. Early Flights (Late February) – Helpful but limited. The colony is still largely inactive. Food reserves must still be monitored.
3. Mass Flights (March) – A sign that winter is ending. This is when beekeepers should check colony conditions and start preparing for spring management.

Final Thoughts on Winter Beekeeping

Good winter management can prevent unnecessary colony losses and set the hive up for a strong spring. The most important steps include:

• Providing proper winter food (honey or pre-inverted sugar)
• Monitoring moisture levels inside the hive
• Ensuring food stores are accessible throughout winter
• Watching for signs of stress or starvation

A well-prepared colony has the best chance of making it through the season. Taking the right precautions in autumn can mean fewer losses and stronger hives when spring arrives.

Best wishes from snowy Lithuania!