One of the things I hear from producers I work with is a consistent concern about the challenges of successfully overwintering hives. While honey bee husbandry isn’t part of my duties at CFSA, I love bees and enjoy observing them on farms and in my gardens.
Beekeepers do everything they can to set their bees up for a successful winter season, including supplemental feeding and more complicated strategies like combining weaker hives to increase the number of bees in a single hive.
Read about how bees prepare for winter in Kim Butz’ expert tip: Fat Bees Are Key to Winter Survival