{"id":19586,"date":"2025-12-19T10:38:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T09:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beefeed.com\/api-of-the-month-42\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T10:38:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T09:38:42","slug":"api-of-the-month-42","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beefeed.com\/en\/api-of-the-month-42\/","title":{"rendered":"API of the month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n

Mathieu DOMECQ<\/strong>Editor-in-chief of the API of the Month and Blog<\/em><\/p>\n\n

A very happy end of the year to you and your bees from the entire API team! A new season is being prepared, but always the same objective for us: to accompany you through our articles and offer you the best food for your bees. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

In December and January, the beekeeper’s main mission is to monitor the food stock while intervening as little as possible to respect the peace and quiet of the bees. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

This month, we’ll be looking at the ability of bees to overwinter. We will discuss their technique to fight against the cold and analyse the<\/strong>critical situations for them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\"Mathieu<\/figure>\n\n\u00a0\n\n

Tasks of the month<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

In December and January, bees hibernate. They remain clustered together in the hive to keep the queen warm. For beekeepers, this is also a quiet period during which they monitor their colonies’ food stocks. Here is an overview of the main tasks to be carried out during this month: <\/p>\n\n

Check the consumption of candy<\/strong>: You may have placed Apifonda candy in your hive last month. Check to see if there is any left, and if not, replace it to prevent starvation. Under no circumstances should you open the hive completely or handle the frames, as you could break up the cluster and let in the cold.<\/p>\n\n

Discreet monitoring<\/strong>: with wind or snow, make sure that the hives have not fallen over and that the entrances are not blocked (by leaves or snow).<\/p>\n\n

Maintain your equipment<\/strong>: now is the time to disinfect everything, wash your suit, tidy up your workshop, or melt down wax caps… Also think about the next season, such as new locations to plan for and your goals (divisions, breeding)…<\/p>\n\n

This month’s honey plants<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Hazel (pollen), snowdrop (nectar and pollen), winter jasmine (nectar), winter heather (nectar).<\/p>\n\n

Read more on page 2<\/a><\/p>\n\n\u00a0\n\n\n\n

Do bees get cold in winter?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Winter has arrived across France and the first sub-zero temperatures are being felt! If we feel cold, do bees feel cold too? Although we are not the same, bees can feel the cold. <\/p>\n\n

They are cold-blooded insects, which means they do not produce body heat like we do. Below 10\u00b0C, a bee that is isolated becomes immobile, cools down and can die very quickly. It is surrounded by all the other bees that they manage to warm up to survive. The group allows them to maintain a sufficient temperature.<\/p>\n\n

How do they survive the winter? Honeybees use an impressive collective strategy known as winter clustering.<\/p>\n\n

This cluster is formed by bees gathering in a compact ball around the queen. The bees in the centre vibrate their thoracic muscles to produce heat. The bees on the outside of the cluster act as insulation: they reflect the heat that escapes back towards the centre of the cluster. They regularly change position with those on the inside so that they do not freeze. <\/p>\n\n

This allows the centre of the cluster to reach 30 to 35\u00b0C, regardless of the temperature outside the hive. The periphery of the cluster maintains a temperature of 8 to 12\u00b0C. To produce this heat, the bees use their muscles rather than the movement of their wings (they do not fly in winter).<\/p>\n\n

\"The
The bees will stay together to get through the winter<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

How many are there during winter? During winter, the colony will be much smaller than what we saw in spring. A healthy colony will go from 50,000 bees to only 10,000 in winter. The queen will also stop laying eggs, or at least lay very few. She will resume in February-March. <\/p>\n\n

Contrary to what one might think, bees do not sleep all day during this winter break. They remain active. While activity is very intense in spring and summer, including cleaning, feeding the larvae, building combs, ventilating the hive, guarding the entrance, foraging, and collecting water and propolis, it changes completely in winter. <\/p>\n\n

Movement within the hive is slow. Every effort is carefully considered: is it necessary or not yet? They conserve their energy. They hardly ever leave the hive anymore because below 12\u00b0C, they find it very difficult to fly.<\/p>\n\n

As you can see, bees face the cold not individually but collectively, thanks to their remarkable social organisation!<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

Bees facing the seasons<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

As we know, bees play an essential role in pollination, yet their survival depends heavily on the changing seasons. Winter is a critical period for the colony, and climate change is disrupting their natural rhythm.<\/p>\n\n

Cold weather: <\/p>\n\n

Intense or prolonged cold weather can weaken bees by preventing them from accessing their food reserves. This situation could cause the death of part or even all of the colony. <\/p>\n\n

Be vigilant about the insulation of your hive: install a bottom plate for ventilated floors, a layer of aluminium (such as Isoruch) on the frames and insulating foam in the roof (such as Apifoam).<\/p>\n\n

Humidity: <\/p>\n\n

Humidity is sometimes more dangerous than cold. It can cause condensation in the hive, which in turn can cause the bees to become cold. It can also encourage the growth of mould, which can make the colony sick. A word of advice: do not over-insulate the hive. If your floor is only 10 cm wide, leave it open. Only cover floors that are completely mesh (such as Nicot floors).<\/p>\n\n

Lack of food:A lack of honey in the hive could also cause the colony to be lost. There are many possible causes: a summer with few flowers, a colony that has consumed too many reserves, the beekeeper harvesting too much honey… Feed your bees if necessary with an Apifonda bread placed on the frames.<\/p>\n\n

\"Open
Open a candi of Apifonda on the frames with the feeder turned upside down, and a layer of insulation in between.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Marked by cold weather, lack of food and climate change, winter is a critical period for our bees. Understanding how it works is essential to supporting them during this time.<\/p>\n\n

As usual, share your photos with us: we’ll post them on our website from the social networks with the hashtag: #apifonda #apiinvert!<\/p>\n\n

See you next month on your API blog with your faithful partner, Les Ruchers De Mathieu!<\/p>\n\n

\"LES<\/figure>\n\n

LES RUCHERS DE MATHIEU<\/strong>Miellerie & Magasin d\u2019Apiculture<\/p>\n\n

Photos \u00a9lesruchersdemathieu<\/em><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A very happy end of the year to you and your bees from the entire API team! A new season is being prepared, but always the same objective for us: to accompany you through our articles and offer you the best food for your bees. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[1202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-api-of-the-month"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAPI - API of the month<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A very happy end of the year to you and your bees from the entire API team! 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