First Winter Hive Check
/It's been a very mercurial fall 2014, one day sunny in the 70s, the next day overcast and 30F. Record cold temperatures and snow followed, leaving my honeybees with little time to get themselves acclimated to weather changes.
Bees cluster to keep warm through winter. During days with temperatures less than 40F, they stay inside the hive, huddled together to keep the queen, and themselves, warm.
The entrance to the hive is closed down to a one bee width, assuming snow hasn't covered it up.
Although snow can be an insulator, it also can also seal the entrance closed as it melts, keeping bees from taking their cleansing flights. Time to do a little snow removal!
