How Foundation Impacts Overwintering Survival
It’s estimated that about 30% of honeybee colonies die each winter in the United States.
If your winter climate is harsher (like ours in South Dakota), you may feel that number is light.
Many beekeepers can recover those losses over the ensuing spring and summer, but there is no question that the die-offs inhibit a beekeeper’s plans to grow their apiary.
What if more colonies could survive winter by type of foundation alone?
Of course, there are many factors that influence a colony’s chances of surviving winter. But let’s examine three distinct advantages enjoyed by users of Premier Foundation:
More space for food and brood.
Formation of a tighter cluster.
Better heat retention inside the cluster.
First, let’s gain some context on the overwintering process.
The function of the winter cluster.
Rather than hibernating over winter, bees huddle together in what’s called a cluster.
When outdoor temperatures drop below 57°F, worker bees form a tight cluster around the queen and brood to keep those assets warm.
Think of this cluster as a ball of bees occasionally moving about the hive to find available food stores.
The outer layer (called the “mantle”) consists of tightly packed, inward-facing worker bees who generate heat by vibrating their flight muscles. This energy-consuming process requires nourishment from the food stores built up by the bees in preparation for the winter season. Workers will thus substitute in and out of the mantle for the occasional meal.
The core of the cluster, occupied by the queen and brood, must be kept warm at all times — 93°F ideally. During October and November, the queen will slow her egg laying and may stop completely. By late December or January, her egg laying increases as the colony requires more numbers to replace those who have not survived the cold.
The anatomy of the cluster indicates the colony’s unified goal: Get the queen and enough workers through winter so the colony can thrive come springtime.
Thinner cell walls allow for more food and brood in the cluster.
Now that we have some context on the winter cluster, let’s answer the question, “How can my choice of foundation affect my colony’s chances of surviving winter?”
When it comes to overwintering, the biggest threats to the colony’s survival are cold temperatures and lack of accessible food.
Thinner cell walls, like those in Premier Foundation, allow for more cells in a given area. These additional cells translate to additional food or brood, whichever the colony needs at the time.
An overwintering colony rarely has too many food stores, since this nourishment fuels their capability to generate heat. (The most common cause of overwintering death is starvation.)
Additional brood, on the other hand, may seem like a hindrance to the vulnerable colony; Having more mouths to feed only puts pressure on the already short food supply. But in especially cold northern winters, bees die at a higher rate and require more replacements to occupy the mantle and keep the brood nest warm.
This is why a queen will lay more frequently in colder climates.
In standard foundation with thicker cell walls, a given number of brood cells will stretch across a wider area and require a larger, more expanded cluster.
With Premier Foundation, the cluster can form a tighter cluster around the same number of brood cells, better sheltering the cluster’s core from the bitter cold.
So, whether it’s additional food or brood, the colony will not have to sacrifice the tightness (and subsequent warmth) of the cluster as a result.
Thinner cell walls allow for better heat retention.
We know that thinner walls between cells increase thermal efficiency in a hive. (Think of thermal efficiency here as the ability of a hive to retain heat.)
This increased thermal efficiency is helpful for the bees during the honey-making process of spring and summer as the moisture from the nectar evaporates and turns to honey more quickly.
The benefit of increased thermal efficiency is more obvious with overwintering: Greater heat transfer between cells means warmer clusters.
We liken this phenomenon to the difference between gloves and mittens. Mittens are generally warmer than gloves because the heat generated by one’s fingers is not separated by fabric.
Similarly, thinner cell walls have less plastic and wax separating the heat sources, meaning more heat is retained inside the cluster.
The bees, then, don’t have to work as hard to generate heat if more heat is retained inside the cluster. This decrease in the output of energy conserves more of the precious food stores for the entire colony.
We’ve explored three key benefits of thinner cell walls as it pertains to overwintering:
More space for food and brood.
Formation of a tighter cluster.
Better heat retention inside the cluster.
As beekeepers, we make every effort to assist our colonies in survival.
Sometimes this takes the form of feeding when forage is scarce. Other times it involves implementing an integrative pest management (IPM) system to treat mites in the hive.
But in the case of overwintering, a simple decision such as which foundation sits inside the hive can make or break the colony’s ability to survive the cold months.
If you have further questions on how Premier Foundation’s 36% thinner cell walls impact hive health, we encourage you to explore our other blogs, watch videos, or reach out to our world-class support team.