Hobbies And Interests
Instructions
Winter and Spring
Maintain the bee hive structure at the start of winter. Clean the inside of dead bees, and clear anything such as snow or dead leaves that could block the entrance of the hive. The bees need to be able to come and go as they please.
Repair the outer hive. If the outer panels are made of wood, replace any rotting pieces and paint them with an exterior grade gloss so they can last until next winter.
Feed your bees in spring as they are more likely to starve during this time of year than in winter. Start them on a sugar syrup solution until they stop taking it for a month. You also can feed them pollen supplements and substitutes if you decide they need them.
Monitor the health of your bees. Bees are prone to bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites at any age, which can have a serious effect on your bee hive if not removed. Diseases such as European foulbrood and chalkbrood attack the larvae; nosema attacks adult bees; and wax moths, tracheal mites and Varroa mites are pests that can kill.
Join up any weak colonies with thriving ones so the production of honey isn't lowered as you move into summer. Capture swarms of bees to increase the size of your colony at this time.
Introduce a queen bee in spring if you need one. To re-queen a colony, find and kill the existing queen bee. Leave the colony queenless for 24 hours and then introduce her.
Summer and Fall
Monitor the size of your colony at the start of summer. If you think the bees don't have enough space, extend your hive and provide extra food for the new inhabitants. Make sure your colony isn't too big, as you may not be able to cope if there are too many bees.
Remove excess honeycomb that has built up inside the bee hive. Start in the middle of summer, and freeze the honeycomb inside the bee hive as it's not ready yet to be taken out. Remove any that is ready to be harvested toward the end of summer.
Feed the bees if they have run out of food from spring. Medicate them and treat bees that have been affected by diseases or mites that developed over the summer.
Finish collecting the last of the honey produced for the year. You can then decide how you want to sell the honey.
Prepare the hive for winter. The hive should be well-ventilated at the top and the bottom to allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to flow in and out regularly when the temperature drops.