In the mid-late winter months, many beekeepers find themselves stuck between wanting to know if their colony has survived thus far and not wanting to disturb their bees. Luckily, there are a few tips and tricks for finding out if your colony is still alive from the outside, even when temperatures are too cold outside to safely do a hive inspection.
Honeybees don’t hibernate through the winter, instead, “winter bees” will form a tight cluster to generate heat and keep the queen and colony warm enough to survive. Since bees aren’t able to leave the hive unless temperatures are above 50 degrees F, even to take cleansing flights, checking the outside for signs of life can be difficult.
Start by looking around the entrance of the hive, do you see an increased number of dead bees? Is there an excess amount of fecal matter staining? If this can be done gently enough to not disturb the cluster, some beekeepers will knock on the side of the hive to see if they can hear buzzing (a stethoscope can be a big help here).
If no buzzing is detected, the colony may have perished or may just be too quiet to hear. If you’re concerned that they didn’t make it, you should still wait until it’s warm enough, just in case they have survived, to lift open your beehive and check inside. Do you detect any warmth or signs of condensation? If so, your bees are likely still alive inside, clustered up tight! Close the hive up and don’t disturb them any further (unless you must add supplemental feed) until spring and warmer temperatures have returned.
If you’re convinced that your bees, sadly, didn’t make it through the winter, it’s important to complete a beehive autopsy to try to determine what the main cause of their demise was. Though it’s a sad circumstance, not all honeybee colonies can survive the cold, but knowing what went wrong can certainly help in future beekeeping seasons. (See the “Read More” section below for some assistance with completing a hive autopsy.)
Read More
Checking Your Beehive Has Signs of Life
A Beekeeper’s Role in Avoiding Colony Starvation
Learning From the Sadness of a Deadout Inspection
In-Depth Lesson on Completing Deadout Inspections *
Colony Forum Post – How to Know if Your Colony Has Survived the Winter *
* Colony Member-Only Content
