To Wrap or Not To Wrap
Hives get wrapped by Thanksgiving weekend. Wrap and or insulate per your preference.
Types of Winter Feed
Hopefully your colonies packed away plenty of honey & pollen for winter but just in case, have a backup plan to feed. Remember, Pollen patties are for spring build up but a Winter Patty (less protein = less chance of prematurely stimulating brood laying) may be a good back up going into winter. Liquid feed will freeze and bees can't process it and glass jars will freeze and burst. If you plan to use sugar fondant patties, be sure to get them ordered so when your bees need them you can have them ready. Hive Alive has a nice sugar fondant - much easier than making it! You would not want bees to starve while the patties are being shipped. If you plan to make your own fondant, be sure to have your ingredients on hand for the same reason. Remember, never give cooked sugar to bees. See Ann Harman's lecture on Bees Like Sugar Too for valuable insights and recipes.
Seals
Bee especially careful about cracking open hives with brittle propolis as it will not get warm enough for those seals, carefully placed by the bees, to mesh together again. Green Frog tape is often a good backup should getting into supers be necessary. Blue painters tape may be less expensive.
Those Pesky Mice... and Voles etc.
If you haven’t done so already, be sure to put your mouse guards on - but make sure a mouse does not get trapped inside. Look inside the entrance with a flashlight. If you do not see mouse nesting material on the bottom board, you may be ok. If you do, you need to get it out of there otherwise the mouse could cause severe damage over the winter.
Winter Winds
If your hives are out in the open, consider creating a wind break if you did not plan your apiary location with this in mind.
Think about taking an inventory of any supplies you’ll need for spring.
In January, order any package bees, nucs, queens, etc. that you’ll need for the spring. Some places sell out quickly.