Happy Holiday Beekeepers

Happy Holiday Beekeepers,

Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season and Joyful new beginning of the upcoming Bee Season!

Hopefully you have closed out the year keeping your Bees; Cozy and Warm by winterizing your hives, Healthy and Happy, by treating for pests, and providing Comfort and Joy with plenty of food for the winter season. Make sure you do your lift test to assure they have plenty of honey for the winter and if light, provide sugar cakes or mountain camp.

Inside the Hive in December
The bees are in their winter cluster, and there is little to no egg laying in December. Seasonal conditions  in December has average temperatures ranging from 22ºF and 36ºF, with about 13” of snow and 2” of other precipitation. The shortest day of the year is December 21. Nothing is in bloom, except perhaps some varieties of witch hazel.

Beekeeping activities to look forward to at this time is replacing any old equipment, ordering new bee packages, nucs, or queens, and inventory fixing, cleaning, and assembling or painting as needed.
Maintain your bee yard by removing ice blocking the hive entrances, to give the colonies better ventilation. Don’t worry about snow around the entrance or hive body, it allows enough airflow and may help insulate the bees. Spend this time reflecting on what went well and what you might change next year by educating yourself.

We offer free beginner classes monthly up until BEE DAY, which is May 10th 2025, weather permitting. Our first beginner class will be on Saturday, January 18th at Napoleon Bee Supply 3PM. Catch up on Bee Culture and American Bee Journal – and renew your subscription!

Bee sales start early this month, you may order online, in the store at napoleonbeesupply.com, or call (517) 499-0439. We are happy to assist you with any questions or concerns. All bee prices are the same as last year. Packages $150 and a maked queen package is $157. Overwintered Michigan Nucs are $200 with marked queens included. Extra Queens are $31. Extra Marked Queens are $38 and are marked green for 2025.

We look forward to servicing you with your bee supply this year and are excited to supply you with a

Bigger and Better Bee Year!

Happy New Year!
Tim and Michelle