Friday, January 23, 2015

Beekeeping Tasks by Season

Beekeeping tasks can be divided by season. Checking on your bees frequently is a good idea, but can be overdone: you don't want to disrupt their hive building and daily activities too much.



Spring is definitely the time to get new bees and start a hive! Read up in late winter on beekeeping, plan your hive, buy or build it, and start going to those local beekeeping clubs.
Start a new hive.
Feed the bees if necessary.
Harvest honey from an established hive: when flowers are blooming, harvest any honeycomb not used over the winter.
Complete any needed miscellaneous tasks: take care of any health issues, and do anything else needed: requeen, add room, etc.


During the summer your bees will basically take care of themselves - you just check up on them and head off any problems before they balloon into big issues.
Enjoy watching the bees as they work: building comb and brooding comb, bringing nectar back to the hive, etc.
Make sure combs are hanging straight if you're using foundationless or top bar methods.
Harvest honey.


Now it's peak honey collection time, and also time for making sure your bees are prepared for winter.
Harvest honey, but make sure to leave enough for the bees for food for winter.
Reduce the hive entrance, put on mouseguards, ensure adequate ventilation. Complete any treatments for diseases and pests.


Before winter, you'll help your bee colony get settled and snug for the long cold spell ahead.
Cover the hive with a jacket - you can use a heavy-duty plastic bag lined with a strip of R19 insulation. Staple along the bottom of the hive. Or use black tar paper.
Make sure all treatments are complete.