22 : Preparing for October
Hefting a hive in winter. Lifting your hives in this way regularly means you will soon be able to gauge when a colony is heavy with food stores or if it needs feeding
winter. You can buy fondant from beekeeping suppliers. If you are starting out in beekeeping, this may be a good time of year to buy it.
Have You Fed Enough?
Last month we discussed feeding liquid stores and, if you haven’t already given them, there is still time to do so if you are reading this article in September.
The other aspect of feeding is to know when the bees have enough stores. The most common method of judging this is by physically lifting the hive to gauge the weight and, indirectly, the amount of stores, a process known as hefting. It sounds simple enough. As you lift one corner or edge of the hive, you can assess the weight of stores in it. Ensure you don’t lift the stand as well and remember that different roofs have different weights. If you are running mixed hive types, such as Nationals and 14 x 12, or some on double brood, it can be difficult to gauge what is the right weight as you switch from lighter to heavier equipment. It is a good idea to start practising hefting
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now, so you get an idea of what a full colony weighs. A colony which has enough stores for winter will feel almost nailed down! A more scientific method is to use a set of scales. You can get these online, or at fishing tackle shops. Strap the floor to the brood box and roof, then place the hook under the strap. Lift the scales until they just start to take the weight of the hive. Better still is to use scales on both sides in turn and add the
two measurements together. If you do the same on an empty hive and subtract this weight from that of your populated hive, it will give you a rough estimate of the weight of stores. It’s not a really scientific method, but it is a bit more reliable than hefting. You can inspect a hive and look at the frames containing stores. A National brood frame holds about 5 lb (2.3 kg) of stores, so you can work out the total. This method only works while it is warm so that you can open the hive up to inspect. Given that not all frames get fully packed with stores, a National hive can hold about 40–45 lb (18–20 kg) of winter food and this is on the lower limit of what most experts recommend for successful overwintering. It is also the reason that ‘leaving a super’ and feeding fondant seem to have gained favour.
The Cluster
So what are the bees doing with all these stores? Bees metabolise the sugars (carbohydrate) in honey into energy. Inside the hive, the bees
are clustered into a ball shape. Honey bees have a clever trick in which they can vibrate their powerful flight muscles without their wings flapping. As the muscles work, heat is released. So the stores are consumed and also gradually converted to heat through the winter months.
Honey Shows
Autumn is a time that many associations host honey shows, with opportunities to compete for various prizes and cups. Such shows are sometimes dismissed as being irrelevant to practical beekeeping but in my experience they provide a lot of opportunities for new beekeepers to learn about harvesting, storing and processing honey, techniques and knowledge which directly relate to the saleability of any excess honey crop you may have.
Classes for light, medium and dark honey provide opportunities to learn about which local crops may have provided the nectar. Jar cleanliness is not something just for those seeking to win honey
If your honey has set in buckets, you can warm it gently to make it runny enough to put into jars
Apimondia Gold Medal for Popular Beekeeping Journals, 2007, 2013 and 2015
September 2016 Vol 98 No 9
Claire Waring
Robin Chapman
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