Proper winter preparation

Proper winter preparation is the most critical factor in minimizing winter losses. This involves several key steps: ensuring hives are well-insulated to protect bees from cold temperatures, providing adequate food stores (honey or supplemental feed) to prevent starvation, and protecting hives from wind and moisture. Winterizing hives includes wrapping hives with insulation, reducing hive entrances, and ensuring good upper ventilation to manage moisture. Proper winter preparation is a preventative approach and involves variable costs depending on insulation materials and hive setup. Winterizing materials like hive wraps and insulation, along with a hive tool for hive manipulation, are needed.