Preparing bees for winter.
This period of work consists in adjusting the number of frames to the strength of the family and replenishing the stock. Precise determination of the number of frames, especially for beginner beekeepers, it is quite difficult and differently interpreted. In general, it can be assumed, that if a basic review, associated with wintering families, falls in the last days of August or the first days of September, For bees sitting on two frames, one patch should be left, and for each brood surface corresponding to 2/3 the surface of the frame used in the apiary (in practice referred to as one brood frame) you need to add one frame. Family occupied strongly 10 slices and having 5 brood slices, with this, that on one of the frames the brood surface covers 2/3 patch, and in the other four, half that size – should hibernate on 8 frames (5 frames for bees and 3 for the brood). Among 8 patches will be found, of course 5, on which there was red, frames with honey or reserve and with feathers.
Stock quantity (honey, relatively processed sugar syrup) is estimated according to the area of the slice it occupies. It is accepted, that on 1 dm2 of the patch sewn on both sides is contained on average 33 a dag of food. When the cells are not sealed and not yet complete, and the honey or syrup is not yet processed, half this amount is taken. When the calculations show, that the supply of food in the combs is equal 4 kg, then for the winter must be added 8 And sugar syrup (2:1 – i.e.. on each 2 kg of sugar – liter of water). With a warm layout of the frames, for the winter period, there is enough reserve in the amount of after 1,5 kg of food for each frame of dimensions 360 x 260 mm. The excess of added food causes unnecessary death of the bees when it is processed. The nest then becomes too spacious, which negatively affects the course of wintering.
Preparing bees for winter.
