# Will my bees winter in Minnesota



## BeeMoose (Oct 19, 2013)

No. It's all in preparation for winter. You need to read and be ready now for winter. If you take the proper actions to insure your bees are ready for a cold long winter,
you can get them through.

One knowledgeable beekeeper you can research is a member here, Michael Palmer. He winters hives in Connecticut and is successful.

I was able to get all three of my hives through an Ohio winter last year, by taking a few precautions and actions. Good luck.

BTW, I have 3 new packages from California that I will be over wintering this year. I have high expectations.


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## lowhog (May 5, 2015)

Wintering in Ohio and Connecticut would be much easier than here. Add two months for Minnesota. Some winters you can have a 30 day stretch of sub 0 temps the high.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

>> Are my bees doomed?

No. 

Obviously, I am not in Minnesota, and I haven't kept bees there either. But its clear that with adequate food (honey/sugar) and a suitable environment inside the hive, that bees originally from less extreme environments can sucessfully winter in Minnesota.

Keep in mind that bees in a cold environment will need to keep themselves warm by eating honey and heating the cluster. The consumption of that honey will release moisture into the interior of the hive, and dealing with that moisture is critical to the wintering success of your bees. Condensation dripping onto the cluster may result in dead bees and an ugly situation by spring.

There are a variety of strategies for dealing with excess moisture (venting, quilt boxes, insulation, etc) but I suggest exploring that situation more.


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

I'm pretty sure Michael Palmer winters in _northern Vermont_, not balmy Connecticut! Same river, but at least two climates zones warmer than in St. Albans, VT.

I think your bees can winter successfully if you plan ahead for that.

IMO the keys are:

Excellent varroa mite control in summer so you have healthy, long-lived winter bees.

More than just adequate amounts of stores which may require forgoing honey harvest the first year AND intensive fall feeding AND supplemental feeding (patties, bricks, candy board, granulated sugar, etc.) during the winter. One of the limiting fators here may be the amount of comb space available for the pre-winter storage of liquid food in the form of nectar, honey or syrup. That lack of comb space is a first year problem, usually not a problem in the second and subsequent years, but it increases the need for supplemental feeding the first year.

Physical protection and arrangements of the hive stack itself. It needs excellent ventilation to prevent condensation that drips back down on the bees (quilt boxes are best for that, IMO, but other techniques are possible). It needs restricted entrances to prevent drafts and rodent access. I insulate my hives with foam panels, and wrap them; some people just wrap with roofing paper. The hives should be in a protected place from winter winds (but snow drifting is OK as it is a good blanket.)

It may be hot, but July and August are critical to winter success because that's when varroa mites start their deadly cycle.

When you were asking about moving your bees to double nucs in another thread, it was wintering success that made me recommend you keep them where they are and concentrate on getting them built out as much as possible. Do what you can to keep them expanding into two (or more) deeps or the equivalent in mediums boxes (including keep - or resume- feeding them to keep them drawing out the necessary combs if your flow is past peak). Those combs are where they can store chow; nectar and honey are preferable but syrup will keep them alive. You can't feed syrup after the daytime highs slip back below 60F. Do not worry that sugar syrup will contaminate your honey crop: the bees will eat it all up before the end of winter.

And start to think about your wintering site in terms of wind protection and winter access for you to check on and add supplemental food during the winter. (Yes, even in MN winters you can open the hives to feed them - if you choose the right day!)

There are lots of threads in the archives about wintering insulation, wrapping, ventilation, quilt boxes, etc. I would start to read about this even though installation of these is still months away. Do some searches and get yourself up to speed about what people use, as there are many methods to consider.

Another critical thing to research is what is a good target wintering weight for your area. Local beeks will know this and it is different, depending on your conditions. Where I am in Albany, NY (just south of the Adirondacks Mtns., Z-4) a good total weight (boxes, bees, and stores included) would be 140 lbs. You can manage with less, but your risk of loss would be higher.

Locally-adapted bees may be hardier, but a careful beekeeper who attends to things like varroa control and adequate food and shelter, even if his queens were bred in Honolulu, will have more winter success than a careless beekeeper who is running bees from feral stock. Winter is what illuminates the difference between bee_keepers_ and bee-havers.

Enj.


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## lowhog (May 5, 2015)

I will have my hives prepared for winter for sure. I made my quilt boxes with screened vent holes. I'm just concerned about the strain of bees I have. I found a fellow that winters 500 hives here 20 miles away. I didn't find out about him in till after I purchased mine. He has 40 hives a mile down the road and there hitting my place. Boy are those bees black. Must be a different strain.


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## kerryq (Jan 27, 2014)

Yes, they will. Some of them anyway. Varies by year and cold spells-some years all of mine make it-some years I lose 20-40%.

Go into winter as mite-free as possible--plenty of stores--young queen---top entrance at a minimum. 

I also use only a top entrance, a candy board (http://www.newmoonapiary.com/candy_boards.html) and a hive wrap of tarpaper or similar material and a piece of 1" thick foam insulation on top of the inner cover and make sure that the seams on the hive are covered against the wind. Peek in at the candy board on the warmest day you can about mid-January and monthly thereafter and replenish sugar in candy board if needed. 

Works for me in West Central MN.

Good luck

kerryq


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I get gueens from breeders in California and Florida among other places that winter very well. As people say, preparation is everything. Treating mites in August, weighing my doubles to make sure they weigh between 125 and 140, and a good wrap with upper entrance and top insulation are vital.


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## frustrateddrone (Jan 31, 2015)

No, if they're from California you must drive to California to let them winter. They will be much better. I also heard that Florida is a great place to winter too.  Don't believe what I wrote.


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## Dave A. (Mar 13, 2015)

lowhog said:


> I was watching a video of a well known beekeeper. He said for bees to make the long cold winter in the far north they must come from a northern raised strain of bees that wintered in the north. The commercial keep I purchased one hive from winters his hives in California. My other hive was a package out of California also. Are my bees doomed?


Yes your bees are doomed. I will be by tomorrow am to transport them to Central Washington State.


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## lowhog (May 5, 2015)

Dave A. said:


> Yes your bees are doomed. I will be by tomorrow am to transport them to Central Washington State.


Like Mr Wonderful says on shark tank. I like money. So bring plenty with you.


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## ABruce (Dec 27, 2013)

lowhog said:


> Like Mr Wonderful says on shark tank. I like money. So bring plenty with you.


Here in Canada, " alittle north of you" a large amount of our new packages are flown in from New Zealand every spring to us .Early queens from Hawaii are common. People on the Canadian Prairies which is similar to your climate, winter these bees over with good success. As previous posters note its a lot about the prep work, a little good luck doesn't hurt either.


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

http://mainebeekeepers.org/the-bee-...ngth-and-survivability-of-honey-bee-colonies/


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

Here in east-central Illinois it's known for tropical summers and arctic winters. 
The beeks I know that have reported the greatest success at overwintering their bees pamper them to put it mildly. They use this product and spray paint it flat black. http://www.menards.com/main/mobile/...s-25-sq-ft/p-136978-c-5778.htm?freeFormRowId=

They re-queen OTS to break the brood cycle.
I'm newly back into bees after being out for 25 years and I'm really liking the no treatments way. (so far) 
Will breed from the survivors next spring and clean up the mess, move on.


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## lowhog (May 5, 2015)

Aunt Betty what does OTS mean?


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

On The Spot.
What it means (to me) is you KILL your queen or make a split with her. The mother hive...you find frames with the proper age larva and cut just below them with your hive tool. It kind of tells the bees "do it here". 
Here is a video to get you started. Watch a few OTS videos and you'll understand. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyAlPucsS40


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

More on OTS. Way back in the 1800's a beek accidently poked a hive with a stick and it made a queen cell On The Spot.
So he started messing around to find out why and discovered this process called OTS. I'm not sure but I think it was C.C. Miller.


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## dweber85rc (Nov 25, 2013)

I am in central mn and my bees are from California originally. I successfully over wintered one of mine last winter. That was my first year of success. I fed heavily in the fall until I had three deeps full and then also added a good wind break and quilt boxes. My hive that made it also had a solid bottom board. The others that did not make it had screened. But there were other factors at play in their demise. I also fed sugar mountain camp style starting in December up until early April. Pollen patties went on in March. If you do this right you will have an explosion in the hive come may and can make split or nucs. My one that made it did just that and I made two splits from it plus I just put the 6th deep super on it last night. The information put out by Dr. Spivak from the u is helpful.


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