Our Method of Beekeeping
Winter
Hive Configuration
To find out how we arrived at this configuration please refer to the Yearly Cycle pdf on the Our Method page.
During November – late February/early March the bees will be consuming the 11 frames of honey we left them in box 4 (top box) and will move up the hive stack to get further away from the cold. On top of the uppermost box is the crown board which has had an access plug removed. Over the access hole we place a container of fondant for the bees to eat and over the top of the crown board and the container is 50mm of insulation (Celotex or Kingspan) which has a scooped out recess to accommodate the fondant container.
Image: 1
Fondant Containers
Image: 2
This image shows two containers with partially consumed fondant we have brought back from our hives. As you can see we use Hive Alive fondant. We have tried to make fondant with varying degrees of success. In the end we decided making fondant was too much trouble. We now buy a box (fifteen 1kg packs) of fondant which will last us through the winter and early spring. The containers are microwave clear food containers size 500ml which can be bought on eBay and will hold over 500gm of fondant.
Image: 3
We fill each container with fondant leaving 5mm of space between the top of the fondant and the top of the container. This is enough bee space when you replace the existing container on the hive with this refilled one. It is very important to mark each container so that the container goes back on the hive it came from, thereby reducing the risk of infections from one hive to another.
Replacement of Containers
Image: 4
This image shows the underside of our 50mm of insulation with the recess for the fondant container, the crown board and the existing fondant container. As you can see “our girls” are busy consuming the fondant. Seeing the bees feeding is a good indication that the hive is doing well.
Image: 5
With a deft shuffle we remove the existing container and replace it with the one we have refilled.
Image: 6
Under the full container are happy bees as the disturbance and heat loss has been minimal. We shake the bees that remain on the fondant we have removed onto the hive landing board and they will make their way back to the colony cluster.
The insulation and lid are replaced and the hive stack is strapped down (as shown in Image:1). This feed will last around two weeks, dependent on the weather.