1. Monthly priorities

• Confirm colony vitality without unnecessarily opening hives.
• Keep entrances clear and limit disturbances to the strict minimum.
• Identify light colonies and secure food stores if serious doubt arises.
• Use the winter quiet to prepare equipment and note colonies to monitor in spring.

2. January at the apiary : the guiding idea for the month

Objective To understand that in January, at the heart of overwintering, the essential task is not to do a great deal, but to avoid preventable losses and timing errors.

In January, the colony lives at a slow pace in a winter cluster. The beekeeper does little, but must remain attentive: a hive short of food stores, a blocked entrance, or repeated disturbances can have disproportionate consequences at this time of year.

Priorities vary according to altitude, aspect, local weather conditions, and the actual strength of the colonies. The right approach is therefore not to follow a rigid calendar, but to observe cautiously, secure the essentials, and keep the apiary calm.

Further reading

• Practical Guide: 4.3 Overwintering
• Overwintering in the honey bee: a very particular phase of its biological cycle
• Achieving successful overwintering

3. Priority tasks for the month

3.1 Confirming vitality without opening

Objective To assess whether the colony is alive and stable, without chilling the winter cluster or causing unnecessary stress.

What to look for
The entrance during a mild spell, any cleansing flights, low-level but consistent activity, and the indicators provided by the varroa insert board if the apiary is equipped with one: wax debris, capping fragments, the approximate position of the winter cluster, and any abnormal bee mortality.

Concrete actions
Briefly observe the hives on a calm, mild day, listen only in cases of genuine doubt, and read the varroa insert board without opening the colony. In January, these indicators complement one another: none is sufficient on its own.

Points to watch
The absence of flight does not prove that a colony is dead. Weather conditions, the time of day, or the orientation of the apiary all significantly affect what one can observe. The main risk is opening a hive "to check" when an external observation would have sufficed.

Further reading

• Practical Guide: 4.8.1 Entrance observation
• The fascinating secrets of reading hive debris
• Practical Guide: 4.8.2 Hive floor debris check

3.2 Maintaining a simple, dry, and calm environment

Objective To avoid straightforward problems of ventilation, water ingress, snow, or wind, without turning January into a month of interventions.

What to look for
Entrances blocked by snow, ice, dead bees, or debris; hive stability; roof condition; and any obvious signs of poor weatherproofing or wind exposure.

Concrete actions
Clear the alighting board and entrance if necessary, check that the roof is properly secured, correct any visible external defects, and avoid shocks, vibrations, transport, and prolonged openings around the apiary.

Points to watch
In January, one corrects specific causes; one does not add precautionary heavy-handed interventions. More insulation is not automatically better: avoiding water ingress, direct draughts, and repeated disturbances is usually the most effective measure.

Further reading

• The winter cluster
• Sense and nonsense in thermal insulation of hives
• Hive insulation put to the test of collective thermoregulation in bees

4. Bee health

Objective To remain alert to unusual health indicators, without making January a month of intrusive interventions.

The best prevention is strong, healthy colonies
It is not necessary to know every disease. The essential skill is knowing how to recognise a healthy colony, and then identifying what deviates from that picture. When in doubt, it is better to seek help promptly and contact the bee inspector.
Useful practical guide: 4.7.3. Recognising healthy colonies

What to look for
Abnormal bee mortality in front of the hive, faecal spotting, an unusual odour, a heavily loaded insert board, or indicators inconsistent with a colony in normal overwintering.

Concrete actions
Record anomalies, compare between colonies, and review these observations within the framework of the apiary's health management plan. If a varroa insert board is in use, it can also give an indication of the varroa situation, but only as one element among others.

Points to watch
January is not the time to improvise repeated interventions on the basis of a single indicator. In cases of suspected contagious or regulated disease, caution is essential: contact the bee inspector before taking any action.

Dysentery diseases (nosema / dysentery)
In winter, digestive disorders remain the most coherent additional point of vigilance. Soiling on the hive, an agitated colony, or abnormal weakening point first to a digestive or overwintering problem.
Practical Guide: 2.5. Dysentery diseases (Nosema/dysentery)

Asian hornet
In January, the Asian hornet is not active at the apiary: only the mated young queens are overwintering, isolated and away from the nest. This month is primarily useful for learning to identify the species, understanding the reporting procedure, and knowing what indicators to look for later in the season. In case of doubt about a nest spotted in winter, photograph it without intervening and report the observation at frelonasiatique.ch.

Further reading

• Practical Guide 1.1: Varroa management concept
• Practical Guide: 1.5.1 Natural mite drop count
• Practical Guide: 4.7.3 Recognising healthy colonies

5. Food stores and current resources

Objective To prevent silent late-winter starvation, particularly in the lightest or most vulnerable colonies.

What to look for
The comparative weight of hives, changes in the lightest colonies, and, where possible, the approximate position of the winter cluster relative to the available food stores.

Concrete actions
Weigh hives regularly by comparison, identify at-risk hives, and in cases of serious doubt, place fondant as close to the winter cluster as possible, in an arrangement that is genuinely accessible without a lengthy inspection.

Points to watch
Fondant is a safety feed, not a stimulant. In January, syrup is to be avoided. A colony can starve even when honey remains in the hive, simply because the winter cluster can no longer reach it.

Further reading

• Making your own fondant
• Principles of bee feeding
• Late-winter feeding: what to make of it?

6. Workshop / organisation

Objective To use a quiet period at the apiary to prepare the coming season properly.

January is well suited to cleaning, disinfection, repairs, and equipment preparation. It is also the right time to update apiary records, identify colonies to monitor closely, and prepare the spring decisions in advance rather than improvising later.

Further reading

• Maintenance of beekeeping equipment
• Practical Guide: 4.4.2 Comb storage
• Apiary management: beekeeping management plan

7. What we do not do now

Objective To avoid timing errors that are costly during the heart of winter.

• No full spring inspection: the risk of chilling and disrupting the winter cluster is too high.
• No syrup feeding to "stimulate": in January, this is not the appropriate tool.
• No reflexive uniting of weak colonies: this assessment requires preparation, and the decision must be taken at the right moment with a health assessment in place.
• No lengthy reorganisation of the brood nest or frames: heavy manipulations must wait for a genuine late-winter or spring window.
• No repeated openings and checks "to be sure": in January, keeping the apiary undisturbed is part of good management.

8. Depending on the situation : suspected dead or severely compromised colony

Objective To avoid robbing and health errors when a colony is suspected to have been lost.

If several indicators converge towards a dead colony, verification must remain brief and cautious. In cases of doubt about the cause, automatic salvage of frames or food stores should be avoided, the risk of robbing should be minimised, and equipment must not be reused without careful health consideration.

Where a contagious or regulated disease is suspected, the correct course of action is to close and isolate the hive and seek the advice of the bee inspector before taking any further steps.

Further reading

• Practical Guide: 4.7.2 Destroying colonies
• Practical Guide: 4.1 Hygiene
• Practical Guide: 4.8.3 Robbing

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