What To Do In December In The Beehive?

It may be that during the month of November it was not possible to carry out winter anti-varroa treatments. This may have happened because the temperatures were not suitable or the families still had abundant brood. However, it is imperative to proceed within this month to avoid excessive infestation leading to colony collapse. If the climate permits and the weather forecasts sunny days with above-average temperatures (usually above 10°C), treatment with dripped oxalic acid can still be carried out. This method has maximum effect in the total absence of brood, so it may be necessary to intervene with a fork to remove the brood-repairing opercula.

In the event that the weather is not favourable or there is too much brood, one can proceed with sublimated oxalic, repeating the treatment a maximum of 3 times at 7-day intervals to cover the entire development cycle of the larvae. If this system is used, care must be taken when the bees are already gathered in the glomeres. In that case, each sublimator has its pros and cons. Those similar to Varrox sublimate oxalic within 4-5 minutes. This allows progressive enlargement of the glomerulus and greater treatment efficacy. On the other hand, it is very time-consuming. Sublimox-type sublimators, which allow total sublimation of the acid within 30-40 seconds, are very convenient, but do not stimulate the glomerulus to open. This drawback can be overcome by warming the families beforehand to encourage bee enlargement and ensure better results in terms of varroa fall.

At this time, it is also useful to check the flight deck. Do you notice any strange droppings? If so, it could be a symptom of diarrhoea or the presence of nosema. In the first case, the explanation could be related to the type of stocks available to the hive. If the honey is fermented or if there is a lot of honeydew present, this can cause disturbance to the bees. Special care must therefore be taken in the preceding months to avoid these unpleasant situations. The stocks and the viability of the family must also be checked. The traditional method of finding out whether bees need to be fed is to lift one side of the hive and manually assess its weight. Alternatively, monitoring systems that allow weight measurement can suggest to the beekeeper when it is a suitable time to feed their bees. These measurements can be made safely without visiting the apiary.

In December, it must be ensured that the insulation of the hives, if carried out, is still effective and that excessive moisture does not build up inside the hive. In the event of heavy snowfall, it must be ensured that the entrances to the hives are not obstructed. If this were the case, the bees would not be able to perform their purification flights and this could lead to dysentery problems. It is also necessary to prevent foreign animals from entering the hive to build their nests. For this reason, the entrance door must be narrowed. Small movements of the hives can also be carried out during this period. The important thing is to be very gentle to prevent the glomere from breaking. Bees that have fallen to the bottom of the hive during this period are hardly able to climb back up, thus decreeing their certain death.

The remaining activities that engage the beekeeper are concentrated in his warehouse. This is a good time to start planning the expenses to be undertaken for the next production season. For this reason, you can make an inventory of the equipment in your possession, evaluating replacements or possible additions. Do you want to replace some old hives? Do you want to expand the number of hives? The winter season is also a good time to start building new frames with wax from the uncapping of combs. That way, when the time is right, you can give the bees to replace the old combs. If this has not already been done, the honeycombs can be stored using traditional methods to prevent the spread of the wax moth. One of the most popular tools is to burn a small disc of sulphur inside the specially sealed honeycombs themselves.

If you are considering incorporating new technology to help you manage your business and improve the productivity of your hives, now is a good time to think about it. Our 3Bee systems allow you to assess various biological parameters of bees in real time, such as temperature, weight, humidity and sound. This information is not only useful in the production phase, to understand when the importation is starting or when you need to add or remove honeycomb. During the winter season, they are extremely useful for assessing the state of the colony without having to resort to the manual systems we have seen above. By always monitoring weight and temperature you have important details to understand how your bees are doing. Check out our product page and if you need a quote or even just more information contact us at info@3bee.it.