Preparation for winter starts in August, not in October. That is when there is still time to react, to feed and secure stores before temperatures drop permanently. The scale makes this preparation more precise.
When to start and what to watch
After the summer nectar flow, in Orava typically from mid-August, it is time to evaluate stores. A hive scale gives the answer without opening: you see the current weight and how quickly it is falling.
In Orava, we count on consumption of around 4 kg per month for an average colony. Winter lasts from October to February, five months, around 20 kg. On top of that, there needs to be a reserve for spring: pollen from hazel is available already around 1 March, but fruit trees come only in April. Until then, bees continue consuming stores.
If the weight of the hive after the summer season does not reach this number, it is time to feed, in August, not in September.
Besides stores, August is also the time for varroa treatment. This is not a weight issue, but skipping it would be a mistake. Stores are useless if the colony enters winter sick.
Feeding: how it looks in the graph
Feeding with sugar syrup is visible in the graph, but not quite the way you might expect. Weight does not rise evenly. Bees take in syrup, evaporate excess water and gradually store it. The graph rises slowly and with slight fluctuations, not sharply as during nectar flow.
In 2019, the first dose came from 15 August, 12 kg of sugar. The bees had enough of their own stores and no further feeding was necessary.
The graph shows when bees stop taking food in. That is the signal that stores are put away and temperature is dropping below the level needed for processing.
Reducing supers
Reduction depends on the year, the development of nectar flow and the extraction schedule. Sometimes reduction happens directly during extraction, sometimes still in August, sometimes only at the end of September. After reduction, the scale shows a sudden drop in the graph, not consumption, only a shift in weight. This step in the graph is normal and expected.
Winter: use of stores
From October to February, weight slowly and evenly declines. A healthy wintering colony consumes around 20 to 30 g per day at average strength. If the decline speeds up significantly, something is wrong. Stores are disappearing faster than they should.
If weight stops falling completely in January or February, there is reason to look more closely. A living colony always consumes, even if only a little.
Spring: the last critical phase
In spring, store consumption speeds up before nectar flow begins. Bees wake up, the queen starts laying, needs rise. Stores that were enough in January may not be enough in March.
In Orava, the gap between the end of winter stagnation, hazel in February and March, and the first real gain, fruit trees in the second half of April, lasts several weeks. This is exactly the period when spring starvation is a risk.
The scale shows when the decline accelerates. If stores are disappearing too fast and nectar flow is not starting, it is time to add fondant without opening the hive in the cold.
What to watch during the whole cycle
| Period | What you see in the graph | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| August | weight after extraction | the basis for deciding on feeding |
| August-September | slow increase | feeding is in progress |
| October-February | even decline, 10-150 g/day, depending on colony strength | normal winter consumption |
| February-April | decline accelerates | spring consumption is rising, watch stores |
| April | weight stagnates | hazel bloom, spring has started |