As fall comes to a close and the snow begins to fly, Nourish’s volunteer beekeeper Dan Hocevar shares his tips for keeping your pollinator friends comfortable over winter.
Dan says, “We had been feeding them as the flowers were ending. Now it is time to get the hive ready for the cold winter. We put insulation between the top covers to keep the warm and cold air from meeting and condensing, which forms water droplets. We put a wrap of insulation around the hive to reduce the entrance to keep rodents out. In the open areas, we put up wind breaks.”
Nourish’s beehives with protective insulation and windbreaks installed for winter.
For more information about winterizing bee hives, please visit our friends at the Sheboygan County Beekeepers Association. Click here.
Dan and his daughter, Hannah. They take care of the beehives at Nourish’s Educational Farm and provide us with delicious honey to use in our programs!
Did you know? The queen bee will start laying more eggs following the winter solstice to build up the hive for a busy spring season! Her internal clock lets her know when the time is right to prepare the hive.