Brian Fackler – Cornell University Master Beekeeper
September is the time for beekeepers to focus on winter preparations. The queen will be laying “winter bees” eggs and the colony will need plenty of pollen to develop fat reserves these bees will need to survive the winter. The forage in our area is primarily finished by mid-October. Beekeepers should ensure that their bees have enough food to sustain them through the winter. Strong healthy hives are essential for winter survival, so take whatever action you can to prepare your hives.
Mouse Guards – by September 1
- Before installing a mouse guard, look inside the entrance with a flashlight to see if there’s any nesting material. If you see nesting material, you must get the mouse out before installing a mouse guard.
Yellowjackets
- In late summer the yellowjacket population is large and their typical food supply is declining. This causes aggressive scavenging behavior and can become a threat to honey bee colonies when the yellow jackets rob a hive for both honey and larvae.
- If yellowjackets are noticed close upper entrance, reduce hive entrance and or install robbing screen.
Remove Honey Supers and Harvest “Surplus” Honey
- Keep in mind that one colony will need approximately 70 pounds of honey (that’s two medium supers full) to make it through winter.
- If you have extra honey, this is a good time to harvest it.
- Your honey frames are ready to extract when nearly all the cells (approx. 80%) are capped or the honey inside the uncapped or open cells is cured. To find out if it’s cured, you can shake the frame with the open cells facing down. If honey leaks from the cells, it’s not cured and should not be extracted. Uncured honey can ferment.
- First year beekeepers should not harvest honey the first year. That’s because the bees need the honey to make it through the winter. Of course, there are exceptions – but in general it’s solid advice to wait.
Feeding
- If you’re worried that your bees will not have enough stores going into winter, feed them 1:1 sugar syrup (2:1 when the weather gets cooler).
- In warm weather syrup ferments quickly and to prevent this add 1 tsp bleach per gallon of syrup.
- Avoid adding Honey-B-Healthy as this encourages robbing and if you do use an internal feeder.
Combining Colonies
- It is generally better to take your losses in the fall and go into winter with stronger colonies. You might want to consider combining hives if: (1) you have a queen-less hive, (2) you have a weak hive, (3) you have two weak hives or (4) you have less than six full frames on both sides of bees. You must do this carefully and systematically.
Top Bar Hives
- Now is the time to start moving your bars and reorganizing them for winter.
- If you have a center entrance hive, that means moving them toward the center with your follower board on either side of the hive entrance with all stores down to one side.
- Think about what you will use as a windbreak and make sure your mouse guards are on.
Varroa Mites
- Results of the PNW Honey Survey show that treating for varroa during the year made a significant difference in survival rates.
- Sample your colonies for varroa mites and apply treatment as needed. Honey Bee Coalition Tools for Varroa Management is your best guidance on sampling technique and treatment options.
- Make sure you follow the recommendations precisely for the treatment you choose. Some treatments can only be applied when honey supers are off while others need a certain outdoor temperature. Check the extended weather forecast.
- After treatment, re-sample to make sure the treatment was effective. This is very important and should not be overlooked.
- Going into winter it is critical you have your varroa mite levels and the viruses they carry low enough or your winter bees will not survive till next spring.