As climate change continues to reshape weather patterns across Europe, beekeepers must adapt their strategies for managing honeybee colonies during the winter of 2024-2025.
The impacts vary significantly between northern and southern regions, affecting honey bee behavior, health, and survival. Understanding these differences is crucial for effective hive management and successful honey production.
❄️ Northern Europe
In northern Europe—covering areas like Scandinavia, the UK, and Northern Germany—beekeepers face specific climate-related challenges:
- 🌡️ Warmer Winters
- General Impact: According to the IPCC, warmer winters can cause honey bees to remain more active than usual. This increased activity may lead to higher consumption of stored honey and a risk of starvation if resources run out before spring.
- Recommendations: Insulate your hives well to maintain stable temperatures and prevent bees from breaking their cluster too early. Supplement their diet with high quality feed, BeeElixir, to ensure they have enough resources, energy and proper nutrition during these unpredictable periods.
- ⚡ Increased Frequency of Extreme Weather Events
- General Impact: The European Environment Agency (EEA) reports more unpredictable weather, including sudden cold snaps after warmer spells, which can be detrimental to honey bees.
- Recommendations: Position hives in sheltered areas and use windbreaks to protect against sudden drops in temperature. This will help reduce the risk of significant colony losses. Regular applications of VarroMed are also crucial for controlling Varroa mites, which may become more problematic in milder winters.
- 🌧️ Changes in Precipitation Patterns
- General Impact: Shifts in precipitation, such as more rain instead of snow, can increase hive humidity and promote fungal diseases, as highlighted in studies published in Global Change Biology.
- Recommendations: Ensure proper ventilation in hives and position them to avoid excess moisture. Using BeeStrong can help boost bees’ resilience to damp conditions and prevent mold and other digestive issues.
- 🌱 Extended Growing Seasons
- General Impact: According to research from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), longer growing seasons may extend foraging periods but can also strain bees by keeping them active longer than usual.
- Recommendations: Carefully manage food stores to prevent depletion and be prepared for longer periods of activity. Monitor and adjust feeding practices as needed.
- 🌼 Changes in Plant Phenology
- General Impact: Changes in plant bloom timings, as discussed by the IPCC, can create mismatches between bee activity and nectar availability.
- Recommendations: Adjust hive management based on bloom timings to ensure that bees have access to sufficient food sources when they are most active.
🌞 Southern Europe
In southern Europe, including regions like southern France, Italy, and Spain, the climate brings different considerations:
- 🌡️ Extended Activity & Energy Depletion
- General Impact: Milder winters might lead to bees remaining active for longer periods, depleting their energy reserves faster.
- Recommendations: Use BeeElixir to supplement bees’ diet, providing extra energy and supporting fat body development, which is vital for winter survival.
- 🦟 Dealing with Predators (Asian Hornet)
- General Impact: The invasive Asian hornet (Vespa Velutina nigrithorax) is increasingly problematic in southern Europe.
- Recommendations: Employ the VelutinaTrap from BeeVital, designed to effectively capture these hornets while allowing your bees and other insects to escape unharmed.
- 🌧️ Managing Moisture & Ensuring Hive Health
- General Impact: Heavy rains can increase moisture inside hives, which is detrimental to bee health.
- Recommendations: Place hives in well-drained locations and ensure proper ventilation to keep them dry. Using BeeStrong Candy helps maintain gut health and colony strength in damp conditions.
- 🌱 Extended Growing Seasons
- General Impact: Longer blooming periods can offer more forage but may also lead to excessive activity and energy drain.
- Recommendations: Monitor hive activity and provide supplemental feeding with BeeElixir to maintain energy and health throughout the winter.
Conclusion
Climate change is reshaping winter hive management strategies. In northern Europe, focus on insulating hives, managing moisture, and controlling pests with BeeVital products like VarroMed and BeeStrong. In southern Europe, address extended bee activity, protect against predators with the VelutinaTrap, and manage moisture with BeeStrong Candy and BeeElixir. By adapting to these challenges, beekeepers can better ensure the health and survival of their colonies, securing honey yields for the coming year. 🌼🐝
Sources
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- European Environment Agency (EEA)
- Global Change Biology
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Vespa Velutina