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Where this comes from. The month’s jobs are the British Beekeepers Association’s and the Scottish Beekeepers’ Association’s. The checks are the National Bee Unit’s, from its fact sheet on preparing for winter, its guidelines on feeding sugar and on varroa, and Starting Right with Bees. Sources at the foot of the page.
What January is for
In January the bees are in their winter cluster and are better left alone, apart from checks from the outside, every two weeks or after a gale. 3 The queen, which stopped laying in October or November, starts again in January or February as the days lengthen. 2 The months ahead are the dangerous ones. Colonies are more likely to be lost over winter and in early spring than at any other time of year, and starvation is a common cause, as colonies use up the last of their stores and become active again. 6
The food
- Heft every other week, one side and then the other, because the stores may sit at one end. 4 3
- A food check at least once a month, without opening the hive unless it is warm. 6
- A quick look inside every 2 to 3 weeks on a warmer day, to make sure the cluster has not been cut off from its stores. 5
- Light? Fondant, not syrup: bees cannot process syrup in the cold. Over the feed hole, or on the top bars under an eke in a hard spell. 5
Fondant: when and how to feed it goes through it, and Starvation and emergency feeding has the signs to watch for.
Varroa
The British Beekeepers Association’s January list says to monitor for varroa and treat if necessary. 1 If your October count called for a winter oxalic acid treatment and it has not gone on yet, the authorised product is for a colony with little or no brood, and every colony in the apiary is treated at the same time. 8 7 Oxalic acid and the broodless window covers how to tell when a colony is broodless.
Outside
- After gales and bad weather, check the hives, the fences, and for animal disturbance. 2 1
- Entrances. Clear dead bees and debris, so the entrance cannot block. 1 Leave snow where it is: it is porous, and it keeps the bees from being tempted out on a bright, cold day. 2 Check the entrance blocks are still secure. 2 Dead bees at the entrance tells the normal from the worrying.
- Woodpeckers. Mesh cages on the hives prevent the damage. 1 The chicken wire goes at least 300 mm from the hive walls, so the bees can still fly. 4 Winter protection has more.
- Repairs in the apiary itself. 1
Cleansing flights explains bees flying on a mild January day.
Indoors
- Equipment for the new season: work out what you need, and check prices and lead times with suppliers. 1 Some suppliers reduce their prices in January. 3
- A record book ready for the season. 2 What to record at an inspection covers what goes in it.
- Reading. The British Beekeepers Association puts it on the January list. 1 Planning next season from your records is a good place to start.
The short version
- Leave the cluster alone. Check from outside every two weeks and after gales.
- Heft both sides every other week. Fondant, never syrup, if a hive is light.
- The queen starts laying again soon, and early spring is when colonies starve.
- Entrances clear of dead bees, snow left alone, woodpecker mesh where needed.
- Indoors: order the kit, ready the records, and read.
December in the apiary comes before this one, and February in the apiary picks up from here.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change - always check the current guidance on GOV.UK before relying on it.