The Beehive: Wintering the bees in heated garage will be a challenge
November 16, 2011 at 7:00 am in Park Rapids Enterprise
Welcome back to the beehive. Deer hunting is now upon us and we are still having some unseasonably warm days. Continue Reading
Bees will consume more food while in a heated building. Most beekeepers in Alberta (where 1/3 of Canada’s hives are kept) winter outdoors in temperatures similar or colder than Minnesota. The tarp paper may not have been thick enough to protect against cold wind. Here’s a photo of one such system:
http://www.raydw.com/bee%20hive%20in%20winter.gif
The bees have an entrance on the top of the hive, which allows them to fly in on warm days if the bottom entrance is covered with snow. It also allows airflow circulation to prevent condensation. An insulated tarp such as this is around $100 to wrap a pallet of 4 hives. Ensure that you put out poison on top of your inner covers, because mice will love to move under the tarp in the winter.
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