The First Winter
by Nikolai · 18 June 2026 · Biography & Memoir
Nikolai's first winter as a beekeeper: a chronological list of all his mistakes. Opened in October, wrong fondant, late mite treatment, gap at the roof, opened again in March and nearly ruined everything. They all survived. He considers it a gift he didn't earn.
What I did wrong in my first winter as a beekeeper, in roughly chronological order: I opened the hive in October to check on them, which let in cold air they had spent three weeks building up heat to compensate for. I gave them fondant that was too hard for winter bees to process. I treated for varroa mites two weeks too late. I insulated the outside of the hive but left a gap at the roof that I didn't notice until February. And finally, in March, when I thought they hadn't survived and opened the hive to see — they were alive, clustered tightly on three frames, and the cold I let in by opening the hive in March nearly killed them in the last week of winter, which would have been my fault in a way I find difficult to think about even now.
They survived. All of them. I consider this a gift I didn't earn.
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