As the days get shorter and the flowers fade, beekeepers don’t hang up their veils and call it a year. Winter may look quiet in the apiary, but there’s plenty going on behind the scenes. Winterizing a beehive is all about helping the colony survive the cold months when nectar is scarce and temperatures can dip well below a bee’s comfort zone. One of the first things beekeepers focus on is food. During winter, bees can’t forage, so they rely entirely on the honey they stored during the warmer...

Location is very important for a hive. If you don’t put your hive in a proper location, it can leave your bees vulnerable to all sorts of...

Once you know how to inspect, you need to know what you look for. Here are the things I look out for when inspecting. The Queen Keep an...