As summer begins to wind down, beekeepers have an important job ahead of them: preparing their colonies for fall and winter.
For honey bees in Ontario, successful overwintering doesn't begin when the snow arrives. It starts in late summer, while the colony is still active and the bees that will make up the winter population are beginning to develop.
This is the time to evaluate colony strength, monitor Varroa mites, make sure the hive has adequate food stores, assess the queen and brood, and begin planning for colder weather.
So, what should you do, why does it matter, when should you start, where should you look in the hive, and how can you prepare your bees properly? Let's break it down.
WHAT Does a Hive Need Before Winter?
A healthy colony going into an Ontario winter needs several things working together:
- A strong population of healthy bees
- A functioning queen
- Adequate honey or supplemental food stores
- Low Varroa mite levels
- Protection from winter weather
- Appropriate ventilation
- An entrance that remains accessible
- A generally healthy, disease-free colony
Winter preparation isn't one single task. It's about making sure the entire colony is healthy enough and supplied well enough to survive several months of cold weather.
WHY Is Late-Summer Preparation So Important?
Honey bees don't hibernate.
During winter, they form a cluster inside the hive. Bees generate heat and gradually move through their stored food as winter progresses.
That means the colony enters winter largely dependent on the bee population and food reserves it built beforehand.
Late summer is especially important because this is when the long-lived bees that will form the winter population begin developing.
One of the biggest threats during this period is Varroa destructor.
Varroa mites feed on developing and adult honey bees and can transmit viruses. In Ontario, inadequate Varroa control has been identified as a primary cause of honey bee winter mortality.
Protecting the bees being raised for winter is therefore one of the most important parts of fall preparation.
WHO Should Prepare Hives for Fall?
Every Ontario beekeeper should have a fall management plan, whether you maintain:
- One backyard hive
- A few hobby colonies
- A farm apiary
- A larger commercial operation
New beekeepers should pay particularly close attention to fall management because a hive that looks busy from the outside isn't necessarily prepared for winter.
A colony can still have plenty of bees flying while experiencing high mite levels, inadequate food stores, queen problems, or disease.
Opening and assessing the colony provides much more information than watching the entrance alone.
WHEN Should You Start Preparing?
Late summer is the time to start.
In Ontario, you don't want to wait until cold weather arrives to discover that a colony has a serious problem.
During August and into early fall, begin assessing:
- Colony population
- Queen status
- Brood pattern
- Food reserves
- Varroa levels
- Signs of disease
- Equipment condition
Varroa deserves particular attention during this period.
Ontario guidance emphasizes that beekeepers shouldn't delay late-summer and early-fall Varroa management because the bees that will make up the winter population are developing.
Continue monitoring later in the season as well. Even after treatment, mite levels should be checked again to determine whether the treatment actually worked.
WHERE Should You Look When Inspecting the Hive?
A fall inspection should look beyond the honey supers.
Brood Chamber
Look at the brood nest and colony population.
You want to see evidence of a functioning queen and a healthy colony. Watch for abnormal brood patterns or symptoms that could indicate disease or queen problems.
Food Stores
Determine how much stored food the colony has available.
Ontario's winter-management recommendations indicate that, going into winter, a colony should weigh approximately:
Single brood chamber: at least 70 lb (32 kg)
Double brood chamber: at least 100 lb (45 kg)
These are whole-colony target weights rather than simply the weight of honey.
Bees and Brood
This is also where you'll assess the overall condition of the bees and look for signs of pests or disease.
Visual inspection alone, however, isn't enough for Varroa. Use an accepted sampling method to determine the actual infestation level.
HOW Do You Prepare Your Bees for Fall?
1. Check Colony Strength
A strong population is extremely important for winter survival.
Bees survive winter by clustering together and generating heat. A larger, healthy cluster is generally better able to regulate temperature and access food.
Ontario guidance suggests that in colder regions of the province, a full-sized colony ideally has approximately 7 to 8 frames of bees going into winter.
If a colony is unusually weak, determine why before simply hoping it improves.
Possible issues could include:
- Queen problems
- Disease
- High Varroa levels
- Inadequate nutrition
- Other colony-health problems
Understanding the cause helps determine the appropriate next step.
2. Monitor Varroa Mites
This may be the most important fall health check you perform.
Don't assume your colony has low mites because you can't see them on the bees.
Varroa levels should be measured using an accepted monitoring method, such as an alcohol wash or another recommended sampling method.
Ontario guidance considers late-summer and early-fall mite levels particularly important and recommends keeping Varroa below damaging thresholds before winter.
If treatment is necessary, use a product registered for use in Canada and carefully follow its label.
Treatment choice can depend on factors such as:
- Mite level
- Time of year
- Temperature
- Presence or absence of honey supers
- Amount of brood
- Product-specific restrictions
Never assume that one Varroa treatment works under every condition.
3. Check Your Food Stores
A strong colony can still starve if it doesn't have enough accessible food.
After the fall honey crop is removed, assess the colony's stores.
If supplemental feeding is required, Ontario recommendations call for a thick fall syrup, commonly approximately 2 parts white granulated sugar to 1 part water, or about 70% sucrose.
Thicker syrup contains less water for the bees to remove before storing it.
A full-sized colony requiring supplemental feeding may need around 15 litres (4 gallons), although the actual requirement depends on how much food that particular colony already has.
The goal isn't to automatically give every hive the same amount. Assess the colony first and feed according to need.
4. Don't Wait Too Long to Feed
Timing matters.
Fall feeding should happen early enough that the colony can take down, process, and store the syrup before temperatures become too cold.
Waiting until the colony is tightly clustered can make feeding much less effective.
That's another reason fall preparation should begin while the weather is still relatively warm.
5. Check the Queen and Brood
Your queen plays an important role in creating the population that will carry the colony through winter.
During inspections, look for evidence that the queen is functioning and evaluate the brood pattern.
A weak, poorly performing colony going into winter may have significantly lower odds of surviving until spring.
If something appears wrong, investigate while there's still enough time in the season to make management decisions.
6. Keep an Eye on Robbing
As nectar becomes less available later in the season, colonies can become more interested in stealing food from neighboring hives.
Avoid leaving:
- Exposed honey
- Open syrup
- Wet supers
- Spilled feed
around the apiary unnecessarily.
Feeding practices should minimize access by bees from other colonies.
Entrance reducers may also become part of fall management, particularly as colonies prepare for colder weather and robbing pressure increases.
7. Prepare the Hive for Cold Weather
Once the colony itself is healthy and properly supplied, you can begin preparing the equipment for winter.
Ontario recommends insulating or wrapping outdoor colonies for winter.
Depending on your setup, winter preparation can include:
- Installing appropriate winter insulation or wrapping
- Reducing the entrance
- Protecting the hive from prevailing winds
- Ensuring adequate ventilation
- Making sure water can't enter through damaged equipment
Don't completely seal the hive.
Honey bees produce moisture through respiration during winter, so ventilation and moisture management remain important.
🍯 Should You Feed Pollen in Fall?
Not automatically.
According to the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, pollen substitutes are typically unnecessary during fall unless the colony has experienced a severe pollen dearth.
Pollen provides protein needed largely for brood production, and brood production naturally decreases as winter approaches.
Unnecessary pollen patties can also remain uneaten and attract pests.
Evaluate the colony rather than assuming every hive needs additional protein.
⚠️ Common Fall Beekeeping Mistakes
Avoid these common mistakes:
- Waiting until October or later to start thinking about winter
- Assuming you don't have Varroa because you can't see mites
- Treating for Varroa without monitoring
- Treating but never checking afterward to see whether it worked
- Taking too much honey and leaving inadequate winter stores
- Waiting until temperatures are too cold before feeding
- Assuming every colony needs exactly the same amount of syrup
- Leaving syrup or honey exposed and encouraging robbing
- Ignoring a weak or queenless colony
- Completely sealing the hive for winter
- Using a mite treatment without following the Canadian product label
The best fall management decisions come from knowing what's actually happening inside your colony.
Preparing honey bees for winter begins long before the first frost.
Late summer and early fall are your opportunity to make sure the colony has healthy winter bees, low Varroa levels, a functioning queen, a strong population, and enough food to make it through the cold months ahead.
Start by inspecting rather than guessing. Monitor mites, assess colony strength and food stores, feed when necessary, and address health problems while there's still time.
Once the bees themselves are prepared, turn your attention to winterizing the hive with appropriate insulation, entrance reduction, ventilation, and weather protection.
A little extra attention in August and fall can make a significant difference when you open that hive again in spring.
🐝 Prepare Your Hive for the Season Ahead
Visit Ritchie Feed & Seed for beekeeping supplies to help you prepare your colonies for fall and winter.
