January 8, 2010
Record lows in parts of the US have Southern beekeepers scrambling to protect their colonies from the cold snap. Northeast beekeepers face this challenge from late fall through early spring. For five to six months, the honey bees must survive on the honey stores the beekeeper left them, huddled in an uninsulated wooden box through winters that can reach sub-zero temperatures.
In late January and early February, as honey stores dwindle and temperatures historically drop, the bee population gradually increases so the bees can take advantage of spring pollen and nectar flows. Beekeepers anticipate their local winter conditions, then create as optimal an environment as possible for their hives by evaluating both large- and small-scale weather trends for their areas.
Two big influences on the Northeast weather are El Nino in the Pacific and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in the east. El Nino happens when a band of ocean along the equator in the Pacific gradually warms. Wind blows across the water, absorbs warmth and moisture, then cycles east to the Americas. Very warm waters create a strong El Nino, which creates relatively mild Northeast winters.
The NAO is caused by high-altitude air pressures over the Atlantic Ocean. The differences in the low pressures over Iceland and the high pressures over the Azores affect the jet stream, which in turn influences the weather in the Northeast. Unlike El Nino, a very predictable influence, the NAO can change from week to week.
For the Northeast beekeeper, microclimates play an equally important role when placing a hive to survive the winter. Urban areas tend to be warmer and more wind-protected than rural ones. Valleys are generally colder than hills, but exposed hillsides much windier. Large bodies of water and hills affect snowfall amounts. The new beekeeper needs personal knowledge of the weather in the potential bee yard (where the hives are located), local knowledge from a willing landowner if the hives will live elsewhere, and also experience of established beekeepers in the community.
Understanding winter in the bee yard helps the beekeeper determine the need for windbreaks, which way to orient the hive, what kind of wrap (if any) to insulate the hive with, whether to attempt housing the hives in a shed, and if the hive needs a top entrance. Surviving the winter in the hive is up to the bees. Part 2 of "How honey bees survive a Northeast winter" will look at what happens in the cold, dark Langstroth hive during the winter months.
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