How to Prepare the Brood Nest for Wintering in a Multi-Box Hive?
Preparing the brood nest for wintering in a multi-box hive (vertical hive) is based on making use of the hive’s vertical structure, which allows natural bee living conditions to be replicated. Below is a detailed discussion of the key principles and steps required for the correct assembly of the brood nest.
Box configuration and colony strength
Wintering strong colonies in a multi-box hive is done as standard in two boxes. This arrangement provides the bees with adequate space and allows the winter cluster to move naturally upwards as the stores are consumed.
- Upper box: It should be completely filled with frames containing honey stores or capped syrup. According to sources, these frames should be fully filled (full of honey), which guarantees the bees continuous access to food during the coldest period.
- Lower box: It serves as the place where the cluster forms. In autumn, the bees and the remains of the emerging brood are located there. The bees form the cluster on the empty cells in the lower part of the combs, just below the stores gathered in the upper storey.
- Reduction for weaker colonies: If a colony is not strong enough to occupy two boxes, the brood nest is restricted to one box, or 6–7 frames are used in both storeys, with the free space separated by dummy boards and insulation.
Distribution of stores and pollen
The correct arrangement of food is of key importance for surviving the winter without starvation losses.
- Quantity standards: Each frame left in the brood nest should have no less than 2 kg of honey (ideally 2.5 kg). The total amount of stores for a strong colony should be between 18 and 25 kg.
- Distribution of pollen: Frames with pollen (the protein reserve) are essential from February onwards, when the rearing of new brood begins. According to sources, a frame with pollen should be placed in the upper box as the third or fourth from the edge, where the main honey stores are located.
- Store arrangement models: The most commonly used arrangement is the bilateral one (beard pattern), where the heaviest frames are at the edges and the lighter ones in the middle, opposite the entrance, creating a natural „cradle” for the cluster. A unilateral (angular) arrangement is also possible, where the stores decrease towards one of the hive walls.
Feeding and work schedule
Preparations must be completed before the temperature drops below the bees’ activity level.
- Feeding completion deadline: Topping up stores with sugar syrup (concentration 1.5:1 or 2:1) must be completed by 10–20 September. Later feeding excessively exhausts the winter bees and stimulates the queen into undesirable late brood rearing.
- Dose sizes: The syrup is given in large doses of 3–4 kg at a time, so that the bees can quickly store it in cells close to the cluster formation point.
Ventilation and insulation
Moisture management is just as important as protection from the cold.
- Entrances: A multi-box hive usually has several entrances. For winter, the lower entrance should be open (reduced to a few centimetres depending on colony strength), while it is very important to leave the upper entrance open. This allows humid air and carbon dioxide to escape.
- Ventilation through the crown board: Sources suggest leaving gaps (approx. 3 mm) between the crown boards or lifting a corner of the cloth to allow passive ventilation from the top.
- Insulation: The brood nest is insulated from above with cushions filled with moss, chaff or straw. It is important that the top insulation does not completely block the escape of water vapour, which prevents the combs from going mouldy.
Additional protection measures
Once the frames have been arranged for the final time, rodent guards must be fitted to the entrances (metal inserts with holes of 6–7 mm), which protect the colony from mice during their period of winter activity. Hives wintering outdoors can additionally be wrapped in dark paper or insulated with special mats, while always keeping the entrance holes clear and open.