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