As fall draws to a close and winter approaches, it’s time to think about how you’re going to winterize your bees. Bees are pretty hardy (they manage to do just fine in the wild without us), and some more temperate areas may not need to do anything at all. But if you live someplace like northern Ohio that almost always bottoms out near or below zero during the winters, then it might not be a bad idea to give them a little help.
That being said, take it with a grain of salt from me. I’ve had bees for the past two winters, and neither hive survived, so I can’t claim to be an expert. Both winters, they were doing fine well into the new year. The first time, the hive got toppled (likely by one of the dogs, but also possibly a polar bear). Last year, we had a late visit in March from the polar vortex that may have done them in. But, I didn’t do anything to winterize the first two years, so I’m going to give it a shot this winter and see if I have any better success.