Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
Proposal summary:
Overwintering honeybees in North Dakota is extremely challenging. Winter losses in our region are often 40-60%, creating economic strain for small and mid-sized beekeepers. According to the Bee Informed Partnership, the Upper Midwest consistently experiences some of the highest winter mortality rates in the country, largely due to severe cold and rapid temperature swings. The University of Minnesota Bee Lab also notes that long winters and freeze-thaw cycles create major overwintering pressures for northern beekeepers.
Most large commercial operations avoid these losses by transporting bees to southern states or California for almond pollination. While common for migratory operations, this approach is not practical or economically feasible for small, stationary beekeepers. As a result, small operations lack affordable overwintering alternatives and must absorb high replacement costs each spring.
Indoor bee-house systems, such as the Slovenian AZ hive, are used in parts of Europe to reduce heat loss, stabilize temperature, and allow minimally disruptive inspections. These systems are rare in the US, and little research has evaluated them under northern Plains conditions.
A structured on-farm trial comparing outdoor Langstroth hives with indoor AZ hives will help determine whether bee-house systems can reduce winter mortality and improve colony performance in ND and MN.
Project objectives from proposal:
Solution
Our project will compare two beekeeping systems for overwintering honeybees in the challenging climate of eastern North Dakota:
Treatment A: Outdoor Vertical Langstroth Hives (6 colonies)
These hives reflect our current practice. They will be placed on stands in an outdoor apiary, wrapped with insulation as needed, and managed according to standard northern-climate practices (fall feeding if needed, moisture control, and mite treatments). These serve as the control group.
Treatment B: Indoor Slovenian AZ Hives Installed Inside an Existing Shed (6 colonies)
We will convert a 12×12 wooden shed into an indoor bee house using removable racks, insulated panels, hive ventilation tubes, and 6 Slovenian AZ hives (30-frame, 3-level). These hives allow rear access, reduced heat loss, and improved winter temperature stability. The shed modification will use only non-permanent, removable components to comply with grant requirements. Temperature and humidity will be monitored using low-cost sensors.
Both systems will use the same management calendar, feeding plan, and mite control strategy (Apivar according to label: ~4 strips per hive per treatment). All colonies will be started from purchased bees to standardize genetics and starting conditions.
Experimental Design
We will install 12 colonies total, 6 in each system. Colonies will be randomly assigned. Both groups will be managed identically except for hive style and indoor/outdoor placement. Data will be collected during:
- Fall 2026: colony strength, brood area, food stores, mite levels
- Winter 2026-27: survival monitoring
- Spring 2027: survival rates, early spring strength, brood expansion
- Summer 2027: honey yield, labor/time records
- Fall 2027: repeat measurements
- Winter 2027-28: second overwinter survival
This provides two full winters of comparison.
Objectives
- Compare overwinter survival between outdoor Langstroth hives and indoor Slovenian AZ hives.
- Measure colony strength, brood area, and honey production in both systems.
- Record labor/time differences between systems.
- Evaluate economic impacts, including cost per surviving colony.
- Share results with regional beekeepers via online videos, website reports, and the Red River Valley Beekeepers Facebook group.