Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are essential for maintaining ecological balance and enhancing agricultural productivity through their pollination services. Gaining insight into the internal conditions of a honeybee colony is crucial for evaluating its health, productivity, and seasonal dynamics. In the northern countries bee colony activity is divided into two periods: active summer and winter passive periods. Monitoring the weight of honey bee colonies provides valuable insight into their physiological status, food consumption, and survival potential during wintering. This study investigates the weight dynamics of bee colonies throughout the passive wintering period, aiming to better understand colony metabolism and resource utilization under low-activity conditions. Continuous weight measurements were recorded using electronic hive scales. The data were analysed to assess temporal trends in colony mass loss and to identify environmental or management factors influencing these changes. Results showed a gradual decrease in hive weight corresponding to the consumption of stored honey, with the rate of loss varying in response to external temperature fluctuations and colony strength. These findings contribute to improving winter management practices by providing quantitative parameters of weight consumption for assessing colony health and predicting overwintering success.
Zacepins et al. (2026) studied this question.