Education

January

 The beginning of the year is the time to build beekeeping equipment, (link to purchase bees and equipment) long before you put it to use. It’s much easier to do it now rather than scramble for gear when your package arrives or you capture a swarm. In many regions of the country, the bees stay in the hive in January except to go out for occasional cleansing flights (to defecate) on warm days. This is a great time to purchase bees! Many people sell out early so think about making your purchases now to assure you have a hive or 2 (recommended) going come spring! Check our shop!

February

Linda Tillman, a master beekeeper in Atlanta, says February is an important time to make sure the hive has enough honey. This is particularly true in the South, where the weather is milder and bees are more active instead of clustering to stay warm; however, northern bees also need adequate stores to maintain their hive temperature through cold spells.

Carefully lift an end of the hive to gauge the weight of the deeps (the two boxes that make up the main body of the hive). You want your hive to weigh at least 50 to 70 pounds at this time of year.You can use sugar to feed. If a hive feels light place fondant or a candyboard inside to feed the bees. This is a great time to purchase bees! Many people sell out early so think about making your purchases now to assure you have a hive or 2(recommended) going come spring! Check our shop!

March

The month of March can surprise beekeepers because many bees starve during this time of the year.  Continually check the weight of your hive, and feed more if necessary.

Since the bees are moving and expending energy, you want to make sure they’re fed plenty with 1 to 1 sugar syrup.(Going to try to make a video of mixing sugar water for bees that we can post the link here) During this time, some northern beekeepers treat for mites before the nectar flow begins.beekeepers in the South should focus on swarm prevention early in the month by checkerboarding—alternating empty brood frames and honeycomb above the brood chambers to create space for the bees or, rather, make them think that they have more space. In an untouched hive, the brood chamber containing the eggs and hatching larvae is located in the center, and checkerboarding spreads out this area. It doesn’t require additional honey; just move empty honeycomb (a frame with drawn-out wax) into the spot from which you removed a frame with brood on it.Buy your bees NOW if you haven’t yet before it’s too late!! This is a great time to purchase bees! Many people sell out early so think about making your purchases now to assure you have a hive or 2(recommended) going come spring! Check our shop!

April

By April, southern bee hives are moving full-steam ahead into honey-making. Add boxes to your hives as needed. You want to keep up with the honey supply.

Beekeepers in cooler regions will experience a slower start during April. The bees begin bringing in pollen for the season, so it’s time for a thorough hive inspection.Open up the hive, You want to see what’s going on. It takes some time before you get to a point where you can read the bees’ behavior. Look at the condition of the comb, whether the queen is laying eggs and if the bees are bringing in pollen. This also is a good time to look for signs of hive pests and diseases.Buy your bees NOW if you haven’t yet before it’s too late!! This is a great time to purchase bees! Many people sell out early so think about making your purchases now to assure you have a hive or 2(recommended) going come spring! Check our shop!

May

May is the heyday for northern hives. You should have a lot of activity at the entrance. You should smell wax and honey at the hive.

When you open the hive, look for nectar and pollen stores, and make sure there’s a nice laying pattern in the brood chambers. Also keep an eye out for swarming behavior. Reverse boxes to make the bees think they have more space, and identify queen cells. Once area plants begin their nectar flow, you can place a super on the hive.In the South, bees are busy during May. You can start seeing capped honey. At this point, simply check your hive to ensure the queen is alive and busy laying eggs. Make sure there is room and they are not going to swarm. Buy your bees NOW if you haven’t yet before it’s too late!! It’s almost getting too LATE! This is a great time to purchase bees! Many people sell out early so think about making your purchases now to assure you have a hive or 2(recommended) going come spring! (Link to buy bees!) Check our shop!

June

The weather is nice, and the bees are in full swing Every June,  check your beehives for a good laying pattern and a healthy queen. You might need to add more supers. Southern beekeepers can remove the supers and harvest their honey.It’s Pretty late to buy bees as this point so buy full established hives or strong nucs if you know what you are doing and plan to feed a lot! Check our shop!

July

In northern states, beekeepers should be capping nectar in July. remove entrance reducers to allow the bees to properly cool down their hive.In the South, bees have finished producing honey, so it’s time to split the hive and create more to give the bees time to build up their own honey supply before winter. By placing the queen and half of the hive in a new colony, leave the remaining beehive queenless or give them a mated queen. If they have to make their own queen That means there’s no brood for 42 days. That might help solve your varroa mite problem. (Beekeepers should look for mites at all times, though.)

In the Appalachian region, July is the best time for beekeepers to add supers to their hives to gather sourwood-honey harvest. Other areas might take advantage of late-season nectar flows.By now, you should be thinking about winter. Your bees are through with their work. Prepping for winter entails combining weak hives, eliminating pests and watching honey stores.It’s Pretty late to buy bees as this point so buy full established hives or strong nucs if you know what you are doing and plan to feed a lot! Check our shop!

August

It is recommended replacing the entrance reducer in August to give the bees a better chance to ward off thieving yellow jackets. For particularly bad robbery cases,  close up her hive for 24 hours, but otherwise  leave the bees alone during this time. With no significant nectar flow, they become hungry and more active.Make sure they have a good pollen stores.  Check honey stores, too. If you wish, you can place a drone-cell foundation frame in the hive for a chemical-free method of mite control. Check our shop!

September

In northern states, beekeepers might experience a late-season nectar flow from goldenrod and wildflowers, it’s acceptable to feed sugar syrup to ensure the bees build enough honey reserves for the winter. Once the honey supers are removed, apply chemical mite control. Always do this before or after honey production to avoid chemical contamination.Make sure the hives have enough weight, A hive with two deeps and a medium super should weigh between 120 to 130 pounds. Check our shop!

October

In all regions, check your hives for pests and adequate honey reserves. At this time we start feeding sugar syrup, a 2 to 1 mix this time of year,  earlier if needed. Using reserved honey stores works, as well. Check our shop!

November

Feeding continues as long as the bees can use the sugar syrup. It is recommend putting on mouse guards and making sure the entrance reducer is attached at this time.This is a great time to purchase bees for next year! Many people sell out early so think about making your purchases now to assure you have a hive or 2(recommended) going come spring! Check our shop!

December

Get ready for the long, cold winter. Stop treating for mites. Other than to remove the strips used to control mites, don’t open your hive. It’s also a good time to read new beekeeping books and make a wish list of items such as a beekeeping suit, equipment or even a different subspecies of Honey bee for the next season.
This is a great time to purchase bees for next year! Many people sell out early so think about making your purchases now to assure you have a hive or 2(recommended) going come spring! Check our shop!