December Monthly Tips

Continue monitoring food stores. Regular pollen patty feeding can be
discontinued as your hives remain clustered most days. However, feeding sugar
bricks with carbs and protein above the cluster is fine. During warmer days, bees
will fly in search of food sources. You may find bees burrowing into chicken feed,
sawdust, and similar things. They are attempting to find a source of protein and
will gather any type of dust, thinking it is a protein source. You can open feed
protein powder in December and January. It is not completely necessary, but any
feeding is helpful.
During quick hive inspections, you will most likely see the size of the cluster
diminish over time. The bees will cluster more and more tightly as the weather
gets colder. But you will also see a slow drop in population as the fall workers
die. This is normal. Expect to see a hive pull out dead bees during this time. This
is much more noticeable in areas covered in snow. Hives often lose strength over
the winter; thus, the larger and stronger the hive is going into winter, the better.
If you plan to purchase nucs or queens for spring, ordering now will ensure you
are able to get the earliest possible pickup dates next year.
With the cold weather, you may notice your harvested honey beginning to
crystallize. To reliquefy, warm it at 120 degrees for 24 hours. This can be done
using a variety of methods, such as putting it in an old refrigerator or ice chest
with light bulbs and a thermostat.