As Canadian beekeepers work to rebuild after the unusually high overwintering losses of the winter of 2006-2007, what should be done to promote bee health and reduce future winterkill?
Medhat Nasr has prepared a fact sheet, Honey Bees and Winterkill, for the Alberta Department of Agriculture. It outlines the best management practices developed in Alberta to address the several possible causes that contribute to winterkill, and provides beekeepers with options to minimize the amount of winterfill in future.
In general:
Best Management Practices
- Keep bee colonies strong — avoid over-splitting.
- Send bees into winter with a healthy, mated young queen.
- Make room for the queen to lay eggs to make winter bees.
- Feed the bees as needed.
Following is a summary of highlights from the Alberta beekeeping factsheet.
Beekeepers will find it useful to read the original factsheet on the Alberta Departmant of Agriculture website, however. It has much more detailed information — including the fascinating fact that winter bees are physiologically different from summer bees, and thus better suited to withstand winter weather — to help beekeepers in making sound management choices in caring for our bees.
Continue Reading »
