Winter is often a worrisome time for beekeepers. Each new cold front makes us wonder if our bees have enough food, if they are warm enough, if there are enough bees in our hives, what else we can do to help them—and the list goes on. Here are five simple tests, in order of importance, to help determine if your bees are likely to survive winter. Included are tips on what to do if your hive is struggling in any of these areas.

Test 1

Bee Population

Most importantly, how many bees are in your hive? We know counting isn’t an option, but there are some easy ways to get an estimate. Because it is wintertime, we don’t want to spend too long in our hives or pull out each individual frame, if any. Make sure the temperature is above 40 degrees and that it is, ideally, not too windy for a quick inspection. The best way to get a quick population estimate is to look between the two boxes. If the bees are clustered, gauge the size of the “ball of bees.”  When clustered, a healthy hive should encompass several of the middle frames in a football or basketball shape—same with the underside of the top box (it will likely mirror the bottom). If they are not clustered, look at the top bars of the bottom box and count how many frames of bees you see. If you look on both sides of a frame and see nothing but bees, that’s most likely a full frame of bees. Also, look at the bottom bars of the second box you have lifted up, and use the same gauge to measure the number of frames covered in bees. This time of year, you need at least five frames covered front to back with bees in each box (10 altogether). Anything more than eight frames is considered excellent. If you have four frames or fewer, consider combining that hive with another hive.

Test 2

Honey Stores

While a proper bee population is essential, having enough food for them to eat is equally important. As bees cluster in cold weather, they eat honey for the energy to vibrate their wing muscles to generate heat. In northern climates, bees need to overwinter with upwards of 100 pounds stored at winter’s onset. In southern climates, 30–60 pounds is sufficient. To find out how much honey your hive has without opening it is easy—do the tilt test! Simply take your hive tool, insert it under the bottom board at the back of the hive, and lift the entire hive up. If it’s very heavy and you can barely even lift it, great! If it’s getting light, you should consider some feeding methods laid out in this article: “Late Fall and Early Winter Feeding.”

Test 3

Mite Population

Controlling your mite population is important at any time of the year. If you were unable to treat it in the fall and you notice a more dramatic decline in population, mites may be to blame. Treating during the winter months is actually extremely effective since there is no brood for the mites to hide in. Oxalic acid (EZ OX or Api Bioxal) is your go-to treatment in November through January. With that said, sublimation is the method you’ll want to choose (not dribble). Using a vaporizer and oxalic acid is a very effective mite treatment in winter months, increasing your odds of entering spring with the lowest mite level possible beyond any other product. Check out the InstantVap 18 Compact vaporizer gun—it works with a rechargeable battery for cordless power tools! It’s a great asset in your arsenal to combat Varroa mites!

Test 4

Properly Sealed Hive

One thing that many people overlook is sealing a hive properly without oversealing it. Making sure boxes are on straight is as important as their being in good repair. Make sure that older boxes with gapping cracks or holes are sealed at least with duct tape if not repaired with putty. Where many beekeepers go wrong is with the ever-confusing entrance reducer and all the opening options. During cold weeks when the bees aren’t flying, enough bees can die and fall from the cluster to cover the small opening, which traps the rest of the bees inside. This blockage, combined with a sudden warm front, could cause your bees to suffocate. We always recommend using the largest opening and considering turning the entrance reducer ledge down, allowing the bees to still exit even if dead bees stack up behind the entrance. I’m not always a fan of this because it makes it a bit harder for the bees that are cleaning house on warm days to discard them since they have to lift the dead up over the ledge, but they can certainly do it.

Test 5

Protein Availability

While not having protein available won’t doom your bees, it can weaken them. In warmer climates, you can open feed dry pollen during the winter months when there is no natural pollen available. These southern region queens can and will lay some all winter if given the resources to do so. On warm days, you will see hundreds of bees foraging on the dry pollen substitute. It should be placed at least 10 feet away from your hive. Bees will gather and use the dry substitute just like natural pollen. This will allow them to rear brood earlier and also supply them with much needed protein.

Fun Fact

At the center of the winter cluster, temperatures can climb to 90–100 °F (32–37 °C), while at the surface of the cluster, or mantle, the temperature fluctuates around the 50 °F mark. To sustain themselves and the heat, the cluster crawls and climbs in formation around the hive to reach their reserves of honey. For most of the winter, the cluster stays intact, but when temperatures outside rise above 50 °F, bees will leave the hive momentarily to relieve themselves of waste. In climates where the temperatures rarely, if ever, drop below 50 °F, the colony keeps working all year round.