Seasonal Checklist: Winter

It is currently below freezing here at NOD headquarters in Ontario, Canada, with huge fluffy snowflakes falling and carpeting the ground. As I look out over our home apiary, the hives are wrapped and covered with a nice layer of snow on top (hey, free insulation!) Right now, my mind couldn’t be further from those sweaty, sticky summer days or the hum of hundreds of thousands of my closest friends…but, in reality, the time is right to start thinking about spring and what the next beekeeping season will bring. Here, I will share a few suggestions for how to fill your time in the winter as a beekeeper.  

Take Stock & Make Plans 

With fewer tasks on your beekeeping to-do list, winter is a great chance to assess the resources available in your operation–both bees and equipment–and plan for the upcoming season.  

Here are some prompting questions you can use to help you make a spring plan: 

1. Review your records from the season: What challenges did you face? What lessons did you learn from those challenges? What were your successes? What would you like to do differently next season
   
2. Consider last spring’s losses: Did you suffer heavy losses last spring? Did you make any changes going into winter this year to address these losses?
3. Anticipate potential spring losses: Do you have any reason to anticipate heavy losses this spring? For example, did you have heavy mite loads at the end of the production season?
4. Plan for hive splits and expansions: Do you expect to have strong hives that may need equipment to split colonies? Are you planning to make expansions to your apiary this year? 

Answers to these questions will provide valuable insight into your operation and the previous season. Take the opportunity to learn from

your mistakes and celebrate your successes! Once you have a better idea of what you’d like your next season to look like, you can begin ordering any bees needed to bring the plan to life. Both local and international queen, nucleus colony (“nuc”), and package bee producers start taking spring orders in the winter. Planning and ordering early will give you the “pick of the litter” instead of leaving you with what’s left when spring arrives. You can also take inventory of your equipment and order any missing pieces or fix what has been broken during the season.

 

Equipment Maintenance 

Got any broken equipment lying around? Planning expansions and need to build new woodenware? Winter is the perfect season to tackle those projects! If your beekeeping plan includes expansion, you may need more equipment. Hive boxes, bottom boards, frames, covers, and stands are vital pieces of equipment that you don’t want to be scrambling for or building in the spring and summer months. Plus, any broken equipment can be fixed and upgraded during the winter months. An indoor shop space is ideal for this! Speaking of indoors, winter is a wonderful time of year to stay cozy inside. Read on for some more “indoorsy” winter activities for beekeepers.

 

Beekeeper Development 

Think back to some of the challenges you experienced last season. In the moment, you may not have had the time or perspective to really delve into where you could have improved your management practices. Now, in the quieter months, it is the prime time to reflect and continue to develop yourself as a beekeeper. The off-season is a great opportunity for beekeepers to do some reading and research, expanding your knowledge of beekeeping theory and honey bee biology. The internet is, of course, a wonderful tool but you should be mindful of the source when reading anything. Consider the geographic area, management goals, and level of expertise when taking in new information. It’s helpful to use a variety of sources to ensure a well-rounded understanding. 

This is also the time to get involved with your local beekeeping club! While every club is different, many meet throughout the winter months for informative sessions and beekeeper discussions. This can be a good chance to network with local beekeepers and learn more about your area. Wherever you live, I am always a huge proponent of regional beekeeper wisdom and management. Your local bee club can be a valuable resource full of insights waiting to be tapped! 

While reading & learning are important parts of becoming a better beekeeper, it’s also important to have fun! What better time than the dead of winter is there to dig into & appreciate our “beekeeper’s rewards?” 

Play with Beeswax!  

In our last blog post, we encouraged you all to Mind Your Beeswax! Now is the perfect time to take advantage of summer rewards, and nothing makes you appreciate the beauty of a beeswax candle like short winter days.  

Get Sticky in the Kitchen  

As beekeepers, we spend much of the spring and summer focused on producing our honey crop. But when do we take time to appreciate and really make use of the fruits of our–and the bees’– labour? Winter is not only an opportune time to market and sell honey but also to get creative in the kitchen with this sweet ingredient. 

This past summer, I grew habanero peppers on the porch of my apartment, with big plans to try my hand at making some hot honey! This “hot” (spicy and trendy!) condiment has been popping up everywhere, from farmers’ markets to gourmet restaurants, and is incredibly versatile. Popular uses include drizzling on pizza, adding to meat marinades, wing sauces, salad dressings, hot toddies, or as a fun addition to your charcuterie board. The best part? It is surprisingly easy to make!  

Hot Honey Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup honey 
• 2 tbsp dried hot pepper flakes 
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions: 

•  Add honey and pepper flakes to a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.
• Test your honey periodically. Continue simmering until you reach desired level of spiciness and remove from heat.  
• Keeping the pepper flakes in the honey, it will continue getting hotter on the shelf. If you are happy with the spice, strain out the pepper flakes and jar up.  

“Pro” Tip: if you’re using your own hot peppers, dry them using your oven or a dehydrator first, then crush the peppers into flakes. I dried mypeppers in halves and tried to infuse them into my honey that way and that method took a LONG time! Surface area is your friend.  

Substituting with Honey 

There are plenty of recipes out there that feature honey, but did you know that you can use honey (almost) anywhere you use sugar? Here are some handy guidelines you can use when swapping:

 

• Sweeter than sugar: 1 cup sugar = ½ – 2/3 cup honey  
• Balance the acidity: Add a small amount of baking soda to help with recipes that require rising such as bread. Add 1/8 – ¼ tsp for every cup of honey! 
• Lower your oven’s temperature by 25F, as honey’s higher sugar content can lead to caramelization or burning quicker than with sugar.  
• If you are able, reduce the other liquids in the recipe by 25% to account for the moisture in the honey  
• Darker honeys tend to have stronger flavors, so unless you want that featured in your recipe, choose a lighter honey.  

 

Enjoying the versatility of beeswax and honey gives perspective to the hard work we (and the bees) put in during the other seasons of the year. When it’s hard to remember the warmth of the sun or the buzz of the bees, these sweet substances help me to look ahead to the spring season with optimism and hope. 

 

Conclusion

I’ve shared a few suggestions of how to keep busy in the winter, but I’ve left the most important for last. As beekeepers, we sometimes look to the bees for lessons on how to live our own lives, and I see this especially at this time of year. When it’s cold, and the days are short, do as the worker bee does: stay inside, snuggle up, and eat honey!