Fall Hive Prep in the Bay Area: Getting Our Bees Ready for Winter

When people picture beekeepers getting hives ready for winter, they usually imagine snow piled on top of wrapped boxes. That isn't life here in Fremont. Our winters are mild, and on sunny January afternoons you'll still see bees heading out to forage. But fall is still the most important season of the beekeeping year, because the choices we make in September and October decide how strong our colonies will be come spring.

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Why fall matters so much

In late summer, a colony starts shifting gears. The queen slows her egg-laying, the population shrinks, and the bees begin raising a special generation of "winter bees." These bees are built differently from their summer sisters: they have bigger fat stores and can live for months instead of weeks. The health of those winter bees carries the colony all the way to spring, so everything we do in fall is really about protecting them.

1. Checking for mites

Varroa mites are the single biggest threat to honey bees, and mite numbers usually peak in late summer and early fall, right when those winter bees are developing. We test our colonies in fall and treat if counts are high. A colony that goes into winter with a heavy mite load often doesn't make it to spring, even if it looks strong today.

An alcohol wash or sugar roll kit makes testing quick.

2. Making sure there's enough food

Even with our mild climate, there are stretches of cold, rainy weather when bees stay inside and live on stored honey. We lift the back of each hive (beekeepers call it "hefting") and look at the frames to judge how much honey the colony has put away. The bees' winter stores come first. Any honey we take is honey the colony truly doesn't need.

If a colony comes up light, a top feeder with sugar syrup can help it catch up.

3. Watching for robbing

Fall is robbing season. As flowers fade, strong colonies (and yellowjackets) look for easy sugar, and a small or weak hive can be raided and emptied in a day. We shrink hive entrances with entrance reducers so guard bees have less doorway to defend, and we're careful not to spill honey or leave sticky equipment out during inspections.

4. Checking the queen

A colony heading into winter needs a healthy, laying queen. During fall inspections we look for eggs and young larvae, a tidy brood pattern, and calm, steady bees. If a colony is queenless this late in the year, it's much harder to fix, so we want to catch problems early.

5. Managing moisture

Here's a surprise for new beekeepers: cold rarely kills bees, but damp does. A cluster of bees gives off warmth and moisture, and if that moisture condenses on the lid and drips back down, it chills the bees. Good airflow and a slight forward tilt so rain drains out of the entrance go a long way during our wet Bay Area winters.

A screened bottom board also helps keep air moving through the hive.

6. Giving the hives some space and quiet

Once the prep is done, we open the hives less often. Every inspection breaks the colony's carefully sealed-up warmth, so from late fall through winter we do quick checks on warm, calm days and let the bees do what they've been doing for millions of years.

What the bees are eating this fall

One lucky thing about beekeeping in the Bay Area is that something is almost always blooming. Fall asters, late-season salvias, and, later in winter, eucalyptus give our bees a little income through the colder months. That steady trickle of forage is one reason Bay Area colonies can come out of winter stronger than colonies in harsher climates.

The takeaway

Fall beekeeping is less about harvesting and more about stewardship: fewer mites, full pantries, safe entrances, a good queen, and dry hives. If we get those right, spring takes care of itself.

New to bees? If this post has you thinking about keeping a hive of your own, start with our Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping.