The biology and management of honey bee colonies for winter.

This presentation is to provide you with the theory and management practices to ensure high honey bee colony winter survival. The presentation is by Dr. Andony Melathopoulos, Assistant Professor of Pollinator Health Extension in the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University. The presentation was made to the Lane County Beekeepers Association on September 15, 2020.

Handout: The biology and management of colonies for winter (Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturalists, 2013)

Want to learn more about this topic? Explore more resources from OSU Extension: Bees and pollinators

Was this page helpful?

Related Content from OSU Extension

Seven winter-blooming plants to nourish bees

Even a small amount of habitat will sustain bees, even rare species.

Kym Pokorny | Jan 13, 2023 | News story

What's the Buzz in School Gardens? Part 2

Join us for part two of our discussion about bees and pollinators in the school garden with Oregon State University Associate Professor Andony Melanthopoulos.

Michelle Markesteyn, PhD, MSEL, Rick Sherman | Jun 2024 | Podcast episode Peer reviewed (Gray level)

New OSU volunteer program tackles statewide native bee inventory

The Master Melittologist program intensively trains volunteers on the meticulous work of locating and cataloging the bees that no one has seen before.

Kym Pokorny | Dec 18, 2020 | News story

Wasps are pollinators too

Humans tend to recoil from the sight of wasps but they are an important part of nature's pollinating community. Even though they don't collect pollen, they are effective at transferring it from plant to plant.

Leana Dickerson | Sep 2020 | Article

OSU study will provide insight into optimal nutrition for bees

The team hopes to improve bee nutrition by building a database of macro and micronutrients found in the flowering plants used in the study.

Kym Pokorny | Jul 26, 2021 | News story

Twelve plants to entice pollinators to your garden

Consider adding some flower power to your landscape to bring in the buzz of pollinators to your garden.

Kym Pokorny | May 9, 2023 | News story

Wildflowers give gardens a charming, relaxed look

Put aside an area of the garden for the beauty of wildflowers.

Kym Pokorny | Apr 10, 2020 | News story

Dig into hundreds of publications from OSU Extension online catalog

Some publications and field guides, such as the popular Shrubs to Know in Pacific Northwest Forests and Trees to Know in Oregon and Washington, are available to purchase.

Kym Pokorny | Nov 22, 2019 | News story

Bees in the woods

Videos and other resources that help you enhance bee and pollinator habitat on your small private forestland

Lauren Grand | Oct 2022 | Collection Peer reviewed (Gray level)

When planning next year’s garden, turn to popular native plants

If sited correctly, native plants can perform well and attract pollinators.

Kym Pokorny | Jan 3, 2020 | News story

The Small Hive Beetle: A Potential Pest in Honey Bee Colonies in Oregon

Although no significant damage has been reported from this pest in Oregon and it is not clear whether this beetle can thrive in this state, the beetle has been a menace in many states and poses a threat ...

Karessa Torgerson, Carolyn Breece, Ramesh Sagili, Dewey Caron | Jun 2016 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Sampling for Varroa Mites from a Honey Bee Brood Nest

Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite, is the most serious pest of a honey bee colony. Left unchecked, varroa mites can severely damage the colony and lead to collapse. Visual inspection of honey bee adults is not a reliable ...

Carolyn Breece, Ramesh Sagili | Jun 2016 | Video Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Honey bee colony loss, herbicide related?

Greetings, I lost 16 out of 20 honey bee hives in Summer Lake valley between October and December of 2018. All were strong hives with at least a deep hive body of surplus honey stores. Another beekeeper in the valley ...

Andony Melathopoulos | Jan 2019 | Featured question

Temps are dropping. Should I change the diet for my bees?

I obtained my bees after most of the nectar flow so they need all the help they can get in obtaining stores to get themselves through the winter. The bees are still flying on some days and are accessing the sugar ...

Anna Ashby | Nov 2019 | Featured question

Sampling for Varroa Mites

Left unchecked, varroa mites can severely damage the colony and lead to collapse. Visual inspection of honey bee adults is not a reliable way to monitor for varroa. This video demonstrates two methods for sampling a colony for varroa mites: the alcohol wash and the powdered sugar shake.

Carolyn Breece | Mar 2019 | Video

What are these blue sheds facing the sunrise?

There is a chunk of farmland between Ontario and Vale that has a number of small, blue shacks on it (mostly on the north side of Hwy 20). Driving past (at highway speeds) we could not figure out what they were for. ...

Bill Buhrig | Jul 2014 | Featured question

Raspberry canes and carpenter bees

If you want to raise bees in your yard but aren't up to maintaining a hive, old raspberry canes might be the answer. Friendly carpenter bees like to burrow into spent berry canes to create their nests.

Jocelyn McAuley | Apr 2020 | Article

OSU teaches Oregonians to raise honeybees as hives struggle

More than 1,300 have enrolled in the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program

Jennifer Larsen | Aug 2019 | Impact story

Have a question? Ask Extension!

Ask Extension is a way for you to get answers from the Oregon State University Extension Service. We have experts in family and health, community development, food and agriculture, coastal issues, forestry, programs for young people, and gardening.

Ask us a question