Winters finally here !

[Intheswamp]

I'm just a newbee, but as long as they have honey/syrup in the combs I would think they're ok.   I would think that if they're flying then they're getting water somewhere if they need it.  As for providing water for them you could use a boardman feeder filled with plain water if you have one.  Otherwise, a pan of water with some pieces of wood/straw floating in it sitting close by?

Best wishes,
Ed

[CapnChkn]

When I bought a queen in June, the man who sold it to me made sure to show me how to keep them in good condition for the next day.  He dipped his finger in water and stroked it on the wire of the cage, filling 2 or 3 of the mesh holes.  I asked, "And how often should I do that?"  He said, "That should last them for 2 days."

One of the metabolic by-products of eating the honey is Water vapor.  Though they wont be able to fly, the water their bodies make from the sugars, condensation, and relative humidity should keep them in good shape.  Remember they've been kicking around a lot longer than we have, and nobody's "kept" them.  Even after we were kicking around Humans spent a lot of time robbing wild hives rather than managing them.