Here we are the year has gone by so quickly! During the month of September, you should have determined the strength of your hive(s). You might have combined weak colonies to help the colony overwinter. Hopefully the attacks by yellowjackets and/or bald face hornets haven’t made your hives suffer too much. You should have also started to monitor your hive(s) for the need of supplemental feeding and you have checked/managed your varroa mite count levels so that your hive can have a successful over wintering.
Click here is some great information on winterization: Randy Oliver’s Overwintering of Honey Bee Colonies, Better Bees Winter Survival for Honey Bees and Dadant Ultimate Guide to Properly Winterizing Your Bee Hives
October: You need to prepare your hive(s) for overwintering. How heavy is your hive? Do your honeybees have enough food stores to make it through the upcoming fall and winter months. Do you need to provide supplemental solid feed? What about moisture/temperature control? Are you going to insulate/wrap your hives with a bee cozy? Think and plan for the upcoming beekeeping year. Reading materials? October is a great time to read up on beekeeping and assess your equipment…
