Our goal this weekend was to remove the sugar water feeders and seal the hives up for the winter. As we approached the hives we noticed that the bees from Hive C had bundles of pollen on their sacks. Each bee was carrying different autumn color...reds, oranges, yellow and whites. The Nasty Hive wasn't as busy but there was activity. It seemed that both hives new what we were going to do and didn't give us much trouble.
We had all of our equipment handy...hive tool, popsicle sticks, duct tape, tar paper, box cutter and glue. We measured the supers for the tar paper and cut the proper sizes. Last year Jim read that putting popsickle sticks between the top cover and the telescoping cover will keep enough fresh air circulating and it prevents any moist air that would normally be trapped in the super from freezing on the bees wings. We did it last year and it worked. Our bees survived and were healthy. Jim prepared both hives with the popsickle sticks and glued it to the top covers.
We both cut the tar paper and used the duct tape to cover both hives. It's amazing how the black tar paper absorbs the sun and actually makes the paper hot. This is exactly what the hives need to help them expend less energy over the coming cold winter months.
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| Winterized Hives |
We finished the project and won't have to really do anything with the hives until March/April. Even though they're closed for the winter...we'll pass by every few weeks to listen in to their wings all vibrating in unison to make that beautiful humming buzz.
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