Here in southern Oregon, excessive moisture in the hive is one of the biggest concerns. Consider using a telescoping cover instead of a migratory lid so that the lid is watertight. If the bottom board is solid, the hive should be tilted so that water drains out and away.

Make sure there is sufficient ventilation by using screened bottom boards, and ventilation holes in the top feeder or a small top entrance. Providing a top entrance also allows the bees a warmer entry area that is closer to the cluster. Good ventilation is even more important in January when brood rearing and  metabolism increase hive moisture.

Be sure that you have a ‘quilt box’ or some other absorbent material under the top cover.  The bees create warm moist air as they maintain the heat inside the hive. This air condenses on the cooler lid and drops back down onto the bees as water. By adding a quilt box or absorbent material, you ensure that the water does not drop onto the bees.

One easy method of adding an absorbent layer at the top of the hive is to staple a screen to the bottom of an empty super or hive body, fill it with wood chips or other absorbent material, and place it between the inner cover and the lid. It’s a lot less messy, and a lot easier to swap the wood chips out for drier ones, if you sew up a cheesecloth pillow (or use and old pillowcase, socks, or pantyhose(!) ) instead of loose wood chips. An even simpler option might be to use a bit of insulation and quilt batting : Another Quilt Box Idea

For a more elegant approach, you can build your own quilt box.

For added insulation, and to provide a surface for condensation other than the wooden lid, you can place a thin sheet of insulating material above the quilt box.

At this time the bees are clustered together in dormancy, except for those periodic warm spells that allow the bees to break their cluster, move closer to stored honey, and make those all important cleansing (defecating) flights.

These periodic warm spells afford the opportunity to visually assess the health of our hives and to do emergency manipulations, if necessary. As a rule, never open a hive during the winter unless there is a good reason and the temperature is at least 45°F. Work around the cluster rather than through it. Take note of the colonies that are flying little or not at all during these periodic warm spells. Do a cursory check for weight (lift the hive to assess) and to determine whether or not the hive is alive (place your ear against the wall, thump it with your hand, and listen for the buzz).

For hives low on stores, feed fondant or frames of honey, or possibly retire the colony. Do not feed syrup at this time. Bees cannot remove the extra moisture, and too much water in the bees diet in conjunction with confinement leads to dysentery. An ideal way to feed fondant is to use lids with rims and to pour the fondant directly into the void. These lids can have up to 5 pounds of feed and last 2-3 weeks.

Drivert sugar has been discussed as an alternative to regular fondant (or dry sugar) on the OSBA Message Board. Drivert has existed for at least 30 years as a potential alternative for emergency feed. It is composed of 92% finely pulverized sucrose along with 8% invert sugar. According to C&H, drivert is “a dry fondant sugar used in icings and pan-coated confections.”

For dead-outs, determine why the hive succumbed (usually queenlessness) and make sure frames are free of scale from American foulbrood. Shake out the dead bees. Then clean and return the equipment to storage.

Check your apiary occasionally — especially after a wind storm. Make sure that the lids are secure and verify that animals (e.g., mice, bears, and humans) have not been bothering (e.g., chewing, eating, or vandalizing) the hives.

Adapted from our friends at the Oregon State Beekeepers Association by Bee Girl  with additions by John Jacob at Old Sol Apiaries and reprinted with permission.

Mother Earth News has a great article on preparing hives for the winter : In the Bee Yard: Final Winter Preparations.