Happy New Year!

January is an exciting month in beekeeping because the end of winter is in sight! Just a couple of months ago it felt like there was plenty of time to complete all of your winter projects, but now reality sets in and those jobs that were put on the back burner are becoming a priority. Hurry up and get those new boxes put together and painted, and new frames assembled, because they will be needed before you know it!

Credit-Dadant

The shortest day of the year has come and gone, as has the lowest population levels of the colony—from here on, the colonies will be increasing in size. It won’t be very noticeable at first, but it won’t be long before populations are filling up the boxes and we will be worrying about swarms again.

So what should you be doing in January to prepare for the spring? First, congratulations to all that successfully kept their colonies alive thus far, but you are not out of the woods yet. It is important to keep an eye on the food stores for the next month or two until the bees can start collecting on their own. Once the maples start blooming at the end of January or beginning of February, the population will increase rapidly, and more food will be consumed. As the population builds up, more food stores are going to be necessary to sustain the growing population. If a colony gets low on resources and a cold spell hits before new sources start coming in, the colony could starve. Indeed, this can be the most tenuous time of the year for colonies, where winter mortality is at its highest.

A quick and easy method to determine if a colony is in need of emergency feeding is called hefting, to gently lift up on one side of the box to gauge how heavy it is. If it is relatively easy to lift with only a slight bit of effort, the colony is probably needing to

Bees died in their cluster due to starvation. (Credit Linda’s Bees)

be fed. If it is so heavy that it takes much effort to lift it a few inches, then it probably has enough food for the bees to sustain themselves until spring has sprung.

It is not necessary (or advised) to do full inspections during this time of year, but popping the lids on warmer days to check on the bees is acceptable. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to have colonies die over the winter months for one reason or

another, and the sooner they are discovered, the better. If left sitting for too long, the equipment may become moldy and rodents may move in. It is best to clean up deadouts as soon as possible so the equipment remains in good shape and can be used again in the spring. One tool for beekeepers that makes this task easier is a thermal imaging camera. The camera uses sensors to detect heat, and when pointed at a beehive will detect the presence of the cluster of bees inside the box. Not only can you see if the colony is alive, but you can see how big the cluster is and where it is located. If the colony is dead, this will be easy to see as well because of the lack of heat.

Thermal Image showing cluster near top of hive. Credit – Rusty Berlew

For everyone that claims to be too busy in spring and summer, right now is a great time of year to attend meetings, catch up on reading, or take a class to increase your knowledge of honey bees. North Carolina has 100 counties and 86 of them have a local beekeeping association. If you are not already a member of one, look to join one near you so you can network with other beekeepers in your area. Many of these same associations have classes for new beekeepers, but they are also useful for existing beekeepers to use as a refresher course. To find a class near you, look on the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association for a list of classes starting soon. NC State also has a library of online classes—the Beekeeper Education & Engagement System (BEES)—that may be done at any time and at your own pace. Also, this year there will be a Beginners BEES school, which will combine both on-line content at your own pace along with live Zoom sessions to allow for real-time discussion on each topic. Another topic on the State Association website is a list of resources to help study for the Master Beekeeping Program. These are wonderful sources to read during the winter to help improve your beekeeping skills and get ready for the spring.