Ensure adequate winter stores

Ensuring adequate winter stores of honey in the fall is a preventative measure to avoid weak spring colonies. Colonies that enter winter with insufficient honey reserves may deplete their stores before spring, leading to starvation and weakness. Leaving sufficient honey in the fall or supplementing with sugar syrup in late fall ensures colonies have enough food to survive winter and emerge strong in spring. This is a preventative approach and involves variable costs if fall syrup feeding is necessary. Bee feeders are used for fall syrup supplementation if needed.