Highlighting: Seasonal Beekeeping Advice
Date/Time:
Date(s) - 10/01/2019 - 11/30/2019
All Day
Signs of the Season
- Evening temperatures below 50°F
- Limited flower bloom
Activity in the Hive
- Brood rearing declines/stops
- Drones removed from the hive
- Long-lived winter bees produced
- Final honey flow
Beekeeper’s Checklist
☐ Perform last varroa measurement before winter
☐ Decide to harvest honey or leave it for winter feed
☐ Ensure honey stores are at least 50 pounds per hive
☐ Feed sugar water if inadequate honey stores
☐ Look for some pollen – one or two frames
☐ Remove totally empty drawn-comb frames
☐ Discard empty comb frames older than 3-5 years
☐ Store empty comb with “para-moth” or in a freezer
☐ Condense hive to two or three boxes
☐ Arrange boxes and frames with pollen and nectar frames on bottom and honey on top
☐ Remove queen excluders
☐ Install entrance reducers (smallest opening)
☐ Attend TBA annual meeting and educational seminars
Potential Problems
- Robbing behavior – install entrance reducers
- Weak hive – combine with a strong hive
Decisions/Considerations
- Are there enough bees (at least 20 frames) to cluster?
- Where will I store removed empty comb?
- Which hive had the best queen so I can use her in queen rearing?
Credit: THBEA NewBee Brochure 2018