🐝 BeeBrief No. 4 – “BeeCool, BeeCold, BeeClustering: The November Survival Guide”
BeeBrief – November 21, 2025
🐝 In the Hive
November is when the bees say, “Nope. We’re done,” and huddle into their winter cluster like a living, humming space heater.
Queen Momma Bee cuts back on egg laying, often all the way down to zero, because November is strictly a stay warm and stay alive month.
🌦️ SEASONAL CONDITIONS — Buzzbee’s Weather Flex
November in Putney is that special blend of cozy, crunchy, and slightly inconvenient.
Here’s what the month usually serves up:
Average Temps: Lows around 30ºF, highs around 47ºF, brisk enough to remind you winter means business.
Snow: Typically 3–6 inches, depending on how dramatic the weather feels.
Other Precipitation: About 3 inches of rain, sleet, or “whatever that is” falling from the sky.
Daylight: Sunrise keeps creeping later, hitting the 7:30-ish a.m. zone and refusing to apologize.
Blooming: Pretty much nothing… minus the occasional witch hazel acting like it didn’t get the memo.
🔍 Insulation Tips — Buzzloaf’s Lazy Reminder
Winter prep is less about heat… and more about fighting moisture like your honey depends on it (it does).
Here’s the breakdown:
Cold? Bees can handle it.
Condensation? Their mortal enemy.
Add an upper entrance for airflow → this lets moisture escape instead of raining back down on the cluster like a sad indoor thunderstorm.
Tilt the hive slightly forward so any moisture that does build up drains out.
Popular insulation options:
A super filled with woodchips, dry leaves, or other absorbent materials
Wrapping with black tar paper
Important: Avoid tightly sealing the hive — you want insulation, not a Tupperware situation.
Equipment Notes
Any equipment stored for winter must be frozen or kept securely to avoid wax moth squatting.
Check yard layout now: Setting up a windbreak around your hives helps reduce heat loss and makes winter a little easier on the girls.
🍁 November Buzz: What’s New?
🥳 Maple Coffee Co. Joins the Hive Network
Maple Coffee Co. in Putney, VT is officially carrying Putney Ridge Raw Honey, a sweet partnership buzzing with potential.
Grab a latte, grab a jar of honey, or just stand in a corner pretending you’re a bee doing a field study. They support the vibe.
🍽️ Thanksgiving Recipe: Honey-Glazed Herb Turkey (Bee-Approved)
Putney Ridge Raw Honey Turkey Glaze
Sweet, savory, golden perfection. This glaze works for turkey, roasted squash, carrots, Brussels sprouts, or whatever else needs dressing up.
Ingredients:
½ cup Putney Ridge Raw Honey
¼ cup melted butter
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Salt + pepper to taste
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients until smooth and glossy.
Brush over turkey in the last 30–45 minutes of roasting so it caramelizes without burning.
Reserve extra for drizzling over sides.
Accept applause. You earned it.
😎 Buzz Bros Corner
Buzzwell:
“Winter cluster? More like a beautifully organized semester-long group project. With zero procrastinators. What a dream.”
Buzzbee:
“Cold weather is prime flex season. You ever tried vibrating your flight muscles to heat your whole family? That’s gains.”
Buzzloaf:
“Wake me up in March. Actually… April. Or never. Could somebody bring me a sandwich?”
🍯 YARD MAINTENANCE — Buzzbee’s Landscaping Lesson
“Move it, don’t mourn it,” Buzzbee
Warm sunny yards are the VIP lounges of winter for hives. If you can, relocate your hives to a sunny, sheltered winter yard where they’ll get maximum morning sun and minimum wind-blast. Crowding in winter yards is fine (they’re not foraging), but make sure you can access the site in mud season — nothing says regret like a stuck truck and a hive full of sticky bees.
Quick checklist from Buzzbee:
Choose a sunny spot with morning light.
Set up a windbreak (hedge, fence, or bale wall) to cut the cold gusts.
Raise hives off the ground a few inches to reduce damp and critter access.
Make sure the winter yard is reachable in early spring — plan for mud and melt.
Keep access routes clear for inspections or emergency moves.
Buzzbee’s final landscaping flex: “If your hive’s got a view, morale goes way up. Also, bees judge bad landscaping.”
📚 EDUCATION & OUTREACH — Buzzwell’s Nerd Corner
“Bring your notebooks. And a spare brain,” Buzzwell
Winter is prime time for learning, when the hives cluster, our curiosity doesn’t. Here’s what’s coming up and how to stay sharp:
Opportunities & suggestions:
Register for national conferences (American Beekeeping Federation, American Honey Producers Association) — the networking and nerd-out sessions are gold.
Look for local winter workshops and club meetings, hands-on demos on winterizing, mite management, and extraction techniques.
Follow seasonal webinar series for advanced topics like varroa treatment timing, winter clustering behavior, and feeder best practices.
Buzzwell’s reading list starter: technical papers on overwintering bees, varroa management reviews, and a tasteful mix of beekeeper memoirs for evening reading. “Read. Take notes. Argue politely at the next meeting.”
🚚 Delivery zone?
We’ll hand-deliver that sweet nectar straight to your door like a honey-fueled Uber with wings.
🐍 Ask the Hive
Each month we answer a reader question with opinions from the Bros.
Q: “Do I need to move my hives to a different yard for winter?.”
Buzzbee: “If you can, absolutely. Sun = happy bees = fewer problems. Also, moving is like cardio and I’m all about gains.”
Buzzwell: “Scientifically, a sunny, sheltered yard reduces stress on the cluster and helps with thermoregulation. Accessibility in mud season is critical for spring management, plan routes ahead.”
Buzzloaf: “Can I come? I’ll bring snacks. Also, yes, move them. But move them gently. I have feelings.”
Bottom line: Move if you have a better, accessible, sunny site, especially if it protects from prevailing winds and makes spring access practical. If you can’t move, add windbreaks and ensure hives are lifted and secured.
Submit your questions at our FAQ page and get possibly correct, probably biased, always entertaining answers in the next BeeBrief.
🐝 That’s all for this edition of BeeBrief.
The only newsletter buzzing louder than a hive in October.
Remember: if you hear a suspicious hum in your kitchen, it’s not a ghost, it’s just a bee testing your winter honey stash. With judgment.
– Buzzwell, Buzzbee, & Buzzloaf
“Stay warm, stay moving, and remember: winter bodies are built with wing workouts and good snacks. Hydrate. Pollinate. Dominate.” – Buzzbee
