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Wintering Bees In Alaska

25K views 70 replies 18 participants last post by  yukonjeff 
#1 ·
I hear about beekeepers in Alaska that throw their bees to the wind every fall. I hope this can encourage more to overwinter. Its not that hard. And yes your bees can survive Alaska cold just fine. I didn't even need to feed mine this spring,and they could of made it through the summer without me. All I did was rob honey and treat.

I am in Western Alaska 70 miles inland from the Bering Sea on the Yukon River.
This wintering set up has worked successfully for me in this location. I think it would work anywhere in Alaska, or northern climate.

I start by having all of my equipment painted flat black. (I keep it black in summer as well).

I winter in three deeps.( But two would work IMO) The one on the bottom is just mostly half drawn frames , pollen stores, or even empties. Next is the brood nest,. Then a deep of sugar syrup, fed early enough to get capped if possible. (not honey,too many solids for long winters) I also feed a pollen patty in August, to fatten the winter bees.



Then a three inch shim for space for sugar bricks.



Above that, a notched inner cover/upper entrance, with a screened 3" feed jar hole, (Important for ventilation.)



Then a empty medium stuffed with dry grass /straw.



I also put a foam 1/2" foam board inside the lid.
And wrap with colony quilts, but leave the lower box exposed, make sure the super is wrapped.

On a warm spring day in March/April you can put on a jar of warm syrup for the afternoon, but remove before sunset. This will encourage a cleansing flight if you pick the right day.



I also sprinkle ashes from my woodstove around my hives to melt the snow in early spring, It helps them orientate in the bright winter sun and snow reflection. stops the death spiral some.







Also.

YOU MUST TREAT YOUR BEES or its all for nothing. I have used MAQS and OA
Good luck
 
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#49 ·
Well it saddens me to report I had 100% loss this winter. It was a cold one here in Western Alaska, and they went through stores faster than previous winters and starved out.

The one thing I did different was stop feeding about September 1 (to let the cap it), normally I jar feed them right up into October, and stop when they quit taking it. That extra month of feed was lost on the other end of winter when they really needed it.

In the month stretches of below 0 weather, it was hard to get in to add sugar bricks, and my boxes became iced so bad I could not even get into one.
I am going to rethink the sugar bricks, in sub zero weather they boil straight up though the sugar and when they hit daylight its over. and maybe just stick a jar of warm syrup on into my quilt box under the grass when I think it might need it. Or better yet, Feed them up to a propper weight.

Well I picked myself up and dusted off my smoker and installed another couple packages,made into four nucs. I treated two rounds of OAV the first 10 days and I will report back this fall and give it another go.

I got this.

A few highlights.





 
#50 ·
I have enjoyed your posts, certainly challenging conditions pushing the edge of tundra. Probably quite windy as well.
I am wondering about the straw. I bagged shavings in onion bags for the first time this year. Bees went for the water as much as the sugar, have to believe the water is necessary to work up enough spit to dissolve the sugar. I see people use old cotton cloth and such as well. Either would absorb more and be a better recycle source for the bees.
 
#53 ·
Well back again. Had a decent summer here, my split packages filled their box out well, fed and ready for another subarctic winter.

I managed them this year in single brood chambers and want to try overwinter in them as well. I have one double, and three singles. I have them wrapped with Colony Quilts but I also have some insulated ceiling tile material I will add under them when it gets colder.

I have a medium empty stuffed with grass again on top of a inner cover with a three inch screened feed hole. My plan this year is to put the feed jar on when the bees are hungry Duh !

No upper entrance on them but I do have them just plugged with wax for now. I might open them this spring.

We don't get any cleansing flights in the winter at all until about April 15thI dont think I need a bottom entrance either but will keep that for when the frost melts and the water drains out.

I also have a sugar brick on and a 3" shim, and wont open them again if I don't have to. Probably be iced up again anyway.

Hopefully this time wont starve.

Will report back in the spring.







 
#57 ·
Not sure how much snow you get but you should have an upper air outlet, even if small and screened over. If snow covers the bottom hole no air flow.
I also would put some insulation inside the top cover. I couldn't tell if you did that or just on the sides.
Not sure if it is too late yet or not.
I have an inner board on top of the inside insulation (screened below insulation) and the entrance for it is screened so nothing comes in, then the top cover.
Hoping for the best myself but I am no where near as cold as you are.
Well today is 60Âş freak weather here in New England
 
#58 · (Edited)
Thanks guys appreciate the comments and ideas from everyone.

I do have a upper entrance but its plugged with wax for now. I can open it up if I need to but the heat loss/food consumption would be greater now if I did.
I have faith in the inner cover with the three inch hole to be able to vent any moisture up into the quilt box. When it melts and drips water down ,most of it lands on the top of the inner cover then and not the bees.

I do have hard foam insulation in the lid.

My lower entrance has been staying melted out so far but I am not too worried if it blows shut. It would be nice if we had a little more snow for insulation. We have not had bad temps yet, -12 f. is the coldest so far, the colder stuff is yet to come.

I will be happy when they burry under the snow later this winter........ I hope :)

I will check later next month and see how they are doing on sugar bricks and might put a jar of syrup on them for a couple days if I think its needed.
 
#59 ·
I am always suprised why beekeepers in really cold places like Alaska, Canada, North America don't run A-Z Hives. These are a hive that has been around in Eastern Europe your many years and protect the bees over a cold winter. Usually built into a shed with the enterance in the front and the hive worked from the back.
 
#60 ·
If it were me, I'd have a back up plan for blocked bottom entrance. The bottom entrance can be blocked by ice, dead bees, etc. This winter my only top entrance is a 1/2 inch round hole in the feed shim. It minimizes air flow and also serves as back up entrance for any blocked bottom entrance. I have quilt boxes on as well.

My bottom entrance is two 1/2 wide by 3/8 high, one at each side, notch up. Notch up minimizes chance of blockage. Also at the sides, it is less likely that dead bees will block at all and then only one side.
 
#61 ·
Oh I forgot I also have a small hole in the middle box for entry/exit if they need it for flights when it is still chilly out.
I figure that there has to be a Ton of bees to block the bottom. I think they will move them out of the way but just in case I wanted another exit :)
Can't believe I forgot about that. One hive closed it before Winter and I had to stick a pencil in there to get it open lol
 
#68 ·
All four boxes still buzzing. We are getting into our longer days now. Below 0 f at night still but warms up to +10 during the afternoon when the sun shines. My black wraps are warm to the touch at 0
Typically I get my first cleansing flight on about April 12. (about 20 more days). I think they are all right with stores, but I will put a feed jar on the next day it gets up above 30 Degrees .

Fingers crossed.



 
#69 ·
Well winter is near over in Western Alaska, It was -18 F two nights ago and now + 35have been getting hammered by storm after storm deep snow here now, but hopefully the big thaw soon.

Still no cleansing flight as you can see the two singles on the right are buried. I will dig them out they were still all buzzing two days ago. Hoping they survived and get a flight this later this coming week.



 
#70 ·
Well we warmed up to +34 calm and sunny today so I unwrapped the hives. Scraped the bottom board of the two inches of soggy wet dead bees. I took the bottom deep off the double deep. I Put a feed jar on all four, and watched my bees fly for the first time since early November. All four survived still heavy with honey and sugar brick. One was only two frames of bees but the others looked to be three or more.. They were just nucs last spring split two packages on four single deeps.
The Alaskan days are getting sunny and long. It stays light here until 11:00 pm already. warm temps of +40 and lows in the 20s. Looking forward to a awesome beekeeping season, and didn't have to buy package bees this year.







 
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