No Brood
Verhalten der Bienen
In the darkest weeks of the year, brood rearing usually stops entirely and the queen ceases laying.
In the darkest weeks of the year, brood rearing usually stops entirely and the queen ceases laying. The colony then sits broodless in the winter cluster, holding about 20 to 25 degrees Celsius at its center. Without brood it does not have to maintain the costly brood temperature of around 35 degrees, which saves considerable food.
For beekeeping this is the most important opportunity of the year: if no Varroa mite is hiding in capped brood, a winter treatment reaches the mites directly on the bees. However, broodlessness cannot be relied on. In mild winters a large share of colonies keep brooding through, and rules of thumb such as three weeks after the first frost are considered unreliable. Every colony should be checked for brood before treatment. The product, dosage, and timing follow the treatment concept of the responsible bee institute.
At the apiary, calm is now the rule. Do not open the hive, do not knock, only observe from outside: entrance clear, cover secure, no feeding damage from woodpeckers or mice. The weight of the hive reveals more about the colony's condition than any look inside.