Each of our hives contains more than 60,000 bees. They are carefully monitored all year-round by members of the club.  We feed them in the winter, watch for overcrowding in the spring, harvest honey in the summer, and monitor hives for harmful pests throughout the year. 

WINTER hive maintenance

During the colder months of the year, honeybees cluster around the queen to keep her warm. They fan their wing muscles to generate heat and can keep the ambient temperature inside the hive as high as 90° Fahrenheit.

When the outside temperatures climb above 55°, the bees may venture outside on cleansing flights or to check out their surroundings for food. But when the temperatures climb high and plunge low, as they have over the past few months, the bees then break and reform their cluster. Think of the breaking of the cluster like stepping away from a heat source and then coming back to it when it gets colder. It takes more time and energy to warm back up again.

Beekeepers typically feed bees during the winter months to supplement the insects’ honey stores.

The Lewes Beekeeping Club uses granulated sugar, adding a 5-pound bag to a feeding box at the top of the hive. This ensures that we open the hive as little as possible during the cold months.