Winter gives beekeepers a chance to plan for next season

by Sawyer Olmstead For beekeepers, the beginning of December marks the end of a very busy bee season. Beekeepers can finally breathe a sigh of relief and spend some well-deserved time off with their friends and family. Fall is a busy time for beekeepers, who spend their time harvesting and extracting honey, managing pests and diseases, feeding bees, and preparing them for the long winter ahead. In our part of the world, bees are confined in their hives for up to five months during the winter. Therefore, beekeepers have to take extra precautions when preparing hives for overwintering. By this time, beekeepers should have all of their hive winterizing and fall pest management work done, and the bees should be snugly tucked away in their hives ready to ride out the long winter ahead. For the beekeeper, winter is the time to reflect on the past season and plan for the upcoming one. It’s never too early to start thinking about spring management, so check out the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture (ATTTA) spring management guide available on Perennia’s website at www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/. By the time April rolls around, beekeeping work will be in full swing as beekeepers make use of the increased daylight, preparing hives for pollination and honey production. Therefore, it’s a good idea for beekeepers to use the winter to plan. PREPARING EQUIPMENT The winter can be a great time to take inventory of equipment, repair any broken supers or frames, and clean up frames and supers for next season. As bees collect honey in the summer, they will build lots of extra comb inside the hives on the tops and bottoms of frames and inside supers. This comb is commonly referred to as burr comb and can be removed before the supers are placed back on hives during the next season. This can save the beekeeper lots of time in the spring. Beekeepers who plan on expanding their hive numbers, or are just starting, should order their equipment ahead of time and assemble it during the winter months so it is ready to go come spring. ORDERING BEES EARLY Whether you are a new beekeeper or an existing beekeeper looking to expand hive numbers, it’s important to order your bees early. Many new beekeepers believe that ordering bees in January or February is too early, but it’s actually the perfect time. Bee supply stores and beekeepers who sell bees start taking orders during winter and will be looking to have their final numbers by March or early April. There are pros and cons to buying bees in different forms, so make sure to do your research and decide if nucleus colonies, packages, or full hives are a better fit for your needs or goals. When in doubt, ask an experienced beekeeper or mentor which option is best for you. POLLINATION CONTRACTS If you rent or plan to rent your hives for pollination of lowbush blueberries or other crops, it’s important to establish pollination contracts early. Winter is a great time to connect and reconnect with blueberry growers and start a discussion on pollination requirements. Although it’s often too early for beekeepers to know exactly how many hives they will have available, it’s important to get communication started and have a rough idea of how many hives you may be able to offer. If you are a new beekeeper and would like to supply pollination services or are looking to expand, one of the best places to meet blueberry producers from your area is at blueberry grower meetings. These meetings provide opportunities to network with blueberry growers and to learn more about wild blueberries. If you have additional hives for rent and are having trouble connecting with blueberry growers, you can list your hives on the Perennia marketplace at marketplace.perennia.ca. ATTENDING MEETINGS During the winter, there are also numerous beekeeping association gatherings in the Maritimes. No matter how many hives you have, it can be an enormous benefit to get out and attend as many of these meetings as possible. They often feature provincial apiculturists providing updates on issues facing the industry, specialists presenting technical sessions, and visiting speakers. There are also other beekeepers to network with. As an industry, it’s important to get together during the slow season to discuss challenges and successes, and to share knowledge because soon enough spring will be here and beekeepers will be “beezy” once again! (Sawyer Olmstead is an apiculturist with the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture (ATTTA) at Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.)