How many frames of bees to overwinter
Beekeepers measure a colony's strength in frames covered with bees, and the sources disagree on how many that should be before winter. Enter your count and this page turns it into an estimated number of bees, then lines it up with each source's figure.
What each source says
The first three sources give a number of frames. The bee counts beside them are my estimate from the 1,800–2,400 bees per frame figure, so they show what each frame number means in bees. Your count is compared with the figure each source uses: Texas Bee Supply counts per box, the others count the colony.
| Source | Its figure | Bees at that figure (my estimate) | Your count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Bee Supply | 5 frames per box | 9,000–12,000 | 6.0 frames, above 5 |
| Hagen's Bees (UK) | 5 frames | 9,000–12,000 | 12.0 frames, above 5 |
| Extension Australia | under 6 frames | 10,800–14,400 | 12.0 frames, above 6 |
- Texas Bee Supply: "at least five frames covered front to back with bees in each box (10 altogether)", "anything more than eight frames is considered excellent", and it flags four frames or fewer.
- Hagen's Bees: a minimum of 5 standard brood frames or equivalent, covered in bees. It adds that fewer than 9,000 bees is a poor chance (about 3 full brood frames), and some sources recommend 18,000 to 20,000 bees, more than 6 frames.
- Extension Australia: its cutoff is fewer than 6 frames of bees, and it gives 4–6 frames of honey for the winter period.
Sources that count bees
Scientific Beekeeping counted workers directly: "generally 1800-2400 workers on a fully-covered comb in warm weather", with 2,000 per comb as a decent rule of thumb. It also cites 13,000 bees in October for colonies free of nosema and 16,000 for infected ones, with the benefit leveling off around 18,000. Here is your range next to those figures.
| Source | Bees | Context | Your range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific Beekeeping | 13,000 | October, colonies free of nosema | Above it |
| Scientific Beekeeping | 16,000 | October, colonies infected with nosema | Above it |
| Scientific Beekeeping | 18,000 | where the benefit leveled off | Above it |
| Hagen's Bees (UK) | 9,000 | poor chance of surviving winter below this | Above it |
Reading the estimate
- The 1,800–2,400 band is for a fully covered comb in warm weather. In a cool cluster the bees sit tighter and the frame count changes with the temperature and the time of day, so a count taken on a cold morning and one taken at noon can differ. That is my assumption about the method. None of these sources gives it.
- Frame size matters. The sources do not all say deep, medium or British Standard brood frames, so the bee count is a rough number and the frame counts as what you counted.
- Hagen's 9,000 bees as "about 3 full brood frames" implies about 3,000 per frame, higher than the 1,800–2,400 band. The sources use different counting conditions, so the table keeps each figure next to its own source.
- The Texas Bee Supply figure of 10 frames is for two boxes. A single box colony is compared on its own frames per box, so it can sit under 5 per box with only one box.
The other half of the question
Bees are one number, food is the other. Hagen's says each colony should have approximately 20 kg of honey in autumn, and Extension Australia gives 4–6 frames of honey. Turn a scale reading into honey with how heavy a hive should be for winter, or compare regional targets on the winter honey stores calculator. How long winter stores last shows how far a given amount goes.