Ensure adequate honey stores before winter

Leave or supplement enough honey in the fall so colonies enter winter with 18-27 kg (40-60 lb) of stored honey, depending on climate severity. Colonies that run short by late winter emerge weak and starving, making spring recovery difficult or impossible.

How Much Is Enough

• Cold climates (northern US, Canada, northern Europe): 27-32 kg (60-70 lb) — winter confinement can last 4-5 months
• Moderate climates (mid-Atlantic, central Europe): 18-23 kg (40-50 lb)
• Mild climates (southern US, Mediterranean): 9-14 kg (20-30 lb)

A full deep Langstroth frame holds roughly 2.5-3 kg (5-7 lb) of capped honey. Count frames in September to estimate total stores.

Fall Feeding If Short

If stores are below target, feed heavy 2:1 sugar syrup (2 kg sugar to 1 liter water) in September-October. Bees will store and cap this as winter reserves. Stop feeding once nighttime temperatures drop below 10 C (50 F), as bees struggle to process syrup in cold weather.

Tips

• Never harvest the last super if fall stores look marginal — the colony's survival outweighs a few extra jars of honey
• Heft the hive from the back in late October; a well-provisioned colony feels noticeably heavy
• Fondant or sugar boards placed above the cluster in January provide emergency insurance if stores run low mid-winter