It sounds a little crazy when you say “winter” in central Arizona. We don’t have mounds of snow or freezing rain, and we usually can get by most days without a coat. But if you have lived here for any length of time, you know that our temps can get down into the 40’s at night, and we have been known to even arrive in the 20’s on rare occasions. December and January can also bring most of our rainfall, though not this past year.
With those chilly, damp nights our bees can be in danger of dying from the cold, even if it doesn’t freeze. What happens is that the heat the bees are producing to maintain their ideal living conditions causes the heat and moisture to rise in the hive. It then hits the cold top and all the moisture condenses, kind of like a mini water cycle in our atmosphere. That condensed water then “rains” down into the hive making it a cold, wet environment that can kill your colony. It’s something that is often a sad surprise to new beekeepers, but can be prevented with proper hive management in the fall.
Start in September or October for a strong spring hive.
1. Treat for Varroa Mites (Click HERE for a thorough overview of varroa management).