Too corny I know and probably a bit late, but I mean it - Happy New Year!

I’ve missed my bees and I’ve missed doing this blog so here we go again. It will be interesting, for me at least, to compare the months this year with last years. As I say, the bees always surprise you so hopefully this years blog will be as interesting and fulfilling as lasts.

Although I’ve been absent from your world for a couple of months, as always, I’ve been keeping an eye on the apiary. It’s important to do this for all sorts of reasons.

You don’t need to open up the hive at this time of year, in fact it’s preferable that you don’t. The temperature will drop dramatically inside the hive if you do and give cause to the bees to have to work harder than need be. They need all their energy to stay alive and look after their queen.

Here are few things to do in the winter up to the apiary.

• Look to make sure no hives have been knocked down by a hungry predator (e.g., badger). For this reason I tie my hives down to their stands before the winter months set in but you never know.

• If it snows - check the entrances. They may be blocked up by the snow.

• Have a look at the entrances anyway. Are there any dead bees on the landing board? There should be some. This is a good sign. It means the girls are still clearing up in there. If there are none and you are worried about lack of activity in there you can give a gentle tap on the side and they will respond by giving a burring sound. You can, if you want, get a small twig and gently poke it in the entrance to make sure it’s not blocked up by dead bees… but be gentle. Try not to disturb them as much as you can as their reaction to our actions cost them much needed energy.

•. Heft the hive. Lift the hives gently to make sure there are stores inside. Last year, in particular, it was quite mild and my bees were out flying more than normal. This may sound great but there was nothing there for them to forage on so they were using up valuable energy and tucking in to their treasured stores. If the hives are light, give them some fondant icing. (see video further down). Also remember, the stores may be there but if it’s very cold they may not be able to access them, which will result in starvation. A tub of fondant icing, available from beekeeping stores, (it’s not the fondant you buy in supermarkets), is always a welcome source of food and energy. If they don’t need it, they won’t take it.

So what’s been going on in the hive during the winter months?

Honeybees don’t hibernate. Far from it. Their numbers have reduced dramatically since the summer months and they will spend the winter in a cluster. This cluster can move around the hive so they can access their stores. You can find out for yourself where the cluster is without removing the roof and crownboard. If you have a varroa tray underneath the hive, pull it out and where there droppings are is a good indication of where the bees will be. This is helpful when giving them the fondant icing. Check this first and then use the hole in the crown board that’s nearest the cluster to put the fondant icing on.

The bees cluster around their queen keeping her warm and well fed throughout the winter months. The cluster is made up of two layers. The outside layer of the cluster - the honeybees huddle close together, facing inward, to ensure no cold air can get through - acting like an insulation lining to the inner cluster. The temperature is about 16°C (60.8°F). The next layer of the cluster is called the core. There are fewer bees, not so tightly packed together, so they can move around more freely to look after the queen and brood when she starts laying again. The temperature here is about 24°C (75.2°F). At the very centre of the cluster the temperature can reach 34°C - (93.2°F) when there is brood. They maintain the temperatures by flexing two little muscles below their wings. They normally use these muscles to warm up their wings before flight but they can use them without taking off! Clever bees.

When the weather reaches about 16°C you can see some bees outside the hive, doing their housework so to speak! The picture to the right is one I took of the winter bees out flying. Always such a lovely sight!

Below is a video of me giving the girls some fondant icing.

At this time of year the apiary has an eerie silence about it so I’m really looking forward to the spring when the trees will be in full bloom and the sound of the honeybees will once more be in the air Meanwhile, during February, I shall be checking all my brood boxes and supers to make sure I’m ready for whatever they throw at me and I can once again be heard uttering those immortal words “bloody bees!”

Well, that’s it for the first blog of 2022. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and missed me as much as I’ve missed you and I’ll see you again in February.

Don’t forget, any questions you may have about honeybees or beekeeping please do get in touch!