Get your colonies safely through winter.
£29
The work doesn’t stop when you take off the supers. The decisions you make in late summer and autumn determine whether your colonies come through winter strong or barely make it. This module covers everything from your final inspections to spring preparation.
- 26 detailed video lessons on post-harvest management and winter preparation
- Step-by-step guidance on feeding, treating, and configuring your hives for winter
- Practical techniques for combining, fixing, and strengthening colonies before the cold
Winter losses are heartbreaking and often avoidable. This module gives you what you need to make it through.
This module is part of the The 14-Day Beekeeper (£149). Only buy this individual module if you’re specifically interested in this subject, without the context of the full course.
Why Buy This Module?
For most beekeepers, autumn is an afterthought. For the best beekeepers, it’s one of the most important times of the year.
- You’ll know how to prepare your hives properly. Insulation, entrance configuration, levelling, strapping—the physical setup of a hive for winter is more important than most beekeepers realise. This module covers every detail.
- You’ll make confident late-season decisions. Whether to combine a weak colony, when to stop feeding, how to handle late-season requeening—these aren’t easy calls. This module walks you through each one clearly.
- You’ll know what to expect in the off-season. Winter isn’t just about waiting. Learn what to do between the final visit and the first spring inspection to make sure you hit the ground running when the season returns.
- You’ll get support. Got a question about your colonies as the season winds down? Reach out. We’re here to help you work through it.
Module Lessons
This module includes 19 video lessons that build your foundational knowledge step by step.
1. Introduction
An overview of what post-harvest management involves and why the decisions made now have such a big impact on next season’s results.
2. 3 Most Important Months Of The Year
Laurence’s view on why late summer and autumn matter more than most beekeepers realise—and what that means for how you prioritise your time.
3. Late Season Inspections
What to look for in your final inspections of the year. Learn what a winter-ready colony looks like and what warning signs to act on before it’s too late.
4. Fixing Failing Colonies
Not every colony goes into winter in good shape. Learn how to assess which colonies can be saved and what steps to take to give them the best possible chance.
5. Combining Colonies
Sometimes the right decision is to combine two weaker colonies into one strong one. Learn when to combine, how to do it safely, and what to expect afterwards.
6. Shaking Out The Duds
When a colony isn’t worth saving, learn how to make that call and what to do with the bees and equipment.
7. Late Season Requeening
Requeening in late season is a different challenge to requeening in summer. Learn when it makes sense and how to do it successfully.
8. Late Season Supersedure
What late-season supersedure means for your colony’s winter prospects—and how to manage it when it happens.
9. Varroa Treatment
Post-harvest is one of the most important treatment windows of the year. Learn why, and how to get your treatment timing and method right.
10. Winter Brood Breaks
How and why to use winter brood breaks as part of your varroa management strategy—and what effect they have on colony dynamics.
11. When To Feed Your Bees
The timing of autumn feeding matters as much as the quantity. Learn how to get it right so your bees head into winter with the stores they need.
12. Feeding Bees
A practical guide to autumn feeding—what to feed, how much, and how to monitor your colonies to make sure they’ve taken it down properly.
13. Compressing Bees For Winter
Why smaller is better when it comes to winter cluster size—and how to configure your hive to support a healthy winter cluster.
14. Beehive Configuration
How to set up your hive for winter. Learn the reasoning behind each configuration decision so you understand why it matters, not just what to do.
15. Beehive Insulation
Does insulation help? When does it matter? This lesson covers the evidence and gives you a clear, practical recommendation.
16. Hive Entrances
Entrance management in winter—reducing to the right size, mouse guards, and why entrance configuration affects colony survival.
17. Levelling Beehives
Why a level hive isn’t the goal—and how a slight forward tilt can make a real difference to moisture management inside the hive.
18. Strapping vs Bricks
How to secure your hives against wind and animals over winter. A practical comparison of the options.
19. Wind Protection
How to position and protect your hives from winter wind—and why this matters more in some locations than others.
20. Protection From Pests
Winter is when mice and other vermin become a serious threat. Learn how to protect your hives during the months when you’re visiting less frequently.
21. How To Stop Early Season Swarming
The decisions you make in autumn directly affect your spring swarm risk. Learn what to do now to reduce swarming pressure when the season starts again.
22. Final Visit Of The Year
What to check, what to do, and what to leave alone on your final visit of the season. A practical checklist for closing down the apiary.
23. Post Final Visit
What happens to your colonies after your final visit—and what, if anything, you should be doing during the deepest part of winter.
24. What To Do In The Off Season
How to use the quieter winter months productively—equipment maintenance, planning, and preparation for the season ahead.
25. When Is Winter Over
How to tell when it’s time to start inspecting again. Learn the signs that spring has properly arrived and your colonies are ready for attention.
26. Why I Don’t Overwinter With A Super
Laurence’s reasoning for removing supers before winter—and why this decision affects colony behaviour, stores management, and spring buildup.
Part of the 14-Day Beekeeper
This Post Harvest module is one of 14 modules in the The 14-Day Beekeeper—our complete training program with 300+ video lessons, the Beekeeping Blueprint system, and 12 months of HiveQ membership.
If you’re new to beekeeping or just starting out, the complete course will serve you better. This module assumes you’ve already completed a full season—including inspections, swarm management, and honey extraction. Without that experience, some of the decisions covered here are difficult to apply with confidence.
The full course builds that knowledge step-by-step, so by the time you reach post harvest, you’ll have everything you need to put it into practice.
What students say
Learn why beekeepers choose us.Learned so much
was watching your videos long before you started 14DBK. Your simple method of getting the information across and genuine love of beekeeping shines through. My wife and I have now finished the course but are still learning so much from the HiveQ community. The ability to return to relevant modules at any time is an absolute blessing.
All anyone needs to start beekeeping
14DBK – Bought when it first launched and it’s been invaluable. Books, although valuable, lack the ability to watch someone actually do what they teach. 14DBK and the youtube channels new direction to education is all anyone needs to start beekeeping.
A reference library
I loved this course, as a new beekeeper it has been very helpful and we certainly be a reference library going forward that I can go back to time and again, I can fully recommend this for newbies and experienced beekeepers
A wealth of knowledge
Purchased the 14 day beekeeping course for my mum for christmas. She loved it! And we are excited to be going into 2026 with a wealth of knowledge and understanding of bees that we didnt have before.
Why Learn From Laurence?
Laurence Edwards has been teaching beekeeping for over a decade. His YouTube channel has helped hundreds of thousands of people start beekeeping with confidence, and his Beekeeping Blueprint system helped him increase his own honey yields by 400%.
This isn’t theory from a textbook. It’s practical, tested advice from someone who keeps bees every single day and has made every mistake so you don’t have to.
