Cold-Climate Beekeeping and Winter Feeding Insights with Etienne Tardif (368)
In this episode of Beekeeping Today Podcast, Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman welcome back cold-climate beekeeper and data-driven researcher Etienne Tardif, joining the conversation from Canada’s far north. Etienne keeps bees in the Yukon—well above the 60th parallel—where winter temperatures routinely reach extremes few beekeepers ever experience.
The discussion begins with a listener question about queen genetics and whether mating across multiple bee lines can combine desirable traits like winter hardiness, rapid spring buildup, and large populations. Becky explores the realities of bee breeding, emphasizing selection over time, the value of diverse genetics within an apiary, and why no single “perfect bee” exists across all environments.
From there, the conversation turns to Etienne’s recent observations on winter feeding—particularly how late-season fondant feeding can unexpectedly trigger brood rearing. Drawing on extensive sensor data, including temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels inside his hives, Etienne explains how even small changes in feed availability can shift colony behavior, energy use, and risk during winter.
The episode dives deep into practical wintering strategies, including insulation, volume reduction, feeding timing, moisture management, and why mixing wintering methods can sometimes work against the bees. Etienne also explains how debris trays, hive sensors, and even basic microscopy can help beekeepers better understand what’s happening inside the colony without opening hives in cold weather.
Whether you keep bees in Alaska, Minnesota, or milder climates, this episode offers a thoughtful, science-informed look at winter preparation, feeding decisions, and how understanding bee biology—rather than reacting to fear—leads to better overwintering success.
Websites from the episode and others we recommend:
- Etienne's Website: https://www.northof60beekeeping.com
- Etienne's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@etiennetardif/
- Project Apis m. (PAm): https://www.projectapism.org
- Honey Bee Health Coalition: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org
- The National Honey Board: https://honey.com
- Honey Bee Obscura Podcast: https://honeybeeobscura.com
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Thanks to Strong Microbials for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Find out more about their line of probiotics in our Season 3, Episode 12 episode and from their website: https://www.strongmicrobials.com
HiveIQ is revolutionizing the way beekeepers manage their colonies with innovative, insulated hive systems designed for maximum colony health and efficiency. Their hives maintain stable temperatures year-round, reduce stress on the bees, and are built to last using durable, lightweight materials. Whether you’re managing two hives or two hundred, HiveIQ’s smart design helps your bees thrive while saving you time and effort. Learn more at HiveIQ.com.
Thanks for Northern Bee Books for their support. Northern Bee Books is the publisher of bee books available worldwide from their website or from Amazon and bookstores everywhere. They are also the publishers of The Beekeepers Quarterly and Natural Bee Husbandry.
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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments in the show notes of this episode or: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com
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Beekeeper
Etienne has a mechanical engineering background. He got his start in beekeeping with a geologist friend as part of mine reclamation project. The beekeeping was done after work hours. It was learn as they go operation as they were the only beekeepers in the area and Beekeeping for Dummies was their primary source of information.
He now lives in the Yukon Territory and has kept bees for the last 12 years in northern cold climates where he takes a very data driven approach to keeping his bees. He has collected data to understand the annual bee cycle, mapped out the bloom calendar along with the nectar and pollen flows. He loves everything to do with bees/native pollinators and continuously seeks to expand northern best practice beekeeping. His current focus is winter thermoregulation, bee nutrition and bee health. In 2021, he received CAP funding to conduct a Yukon honey origins projects to better understand Yukon/Boreal/Subarctic nectar sources (pollen analysis) as well as the local honey chemical characteristics (NMR).
Etienne is past president of WAS – Western Apicultural Society.
