Having just traversed the autumnal equinoctial point , the time is now for fall cleanup and winter readying chores . Perhaps you go in a cooler part of the Northern Hemisphere , in which compositor’s case , your annual chores have already begun . Most of the rest of us beekeeper have some study yet to do in term of nightfall criminal maintenance .
Now that the forage time of year is largely behind us and the honey has beenharvested ( or left for the bee ) , it ’s time to tackle your fall maintenance chore . The bee are already several step in front of you : In fact , their winter formulation started with the first springiness blooms , as they began gathering and storing nectar and pollen . So as we beekeeper take on our own chore , we are wait on their interest group and following their atomic number 82 by doing whatever we can to give them a leg up for the coming wintertime month .
Here are a few ways we do that in the fall .
Protect Against Predators
A good decline maintenance job is keep the forcible beehive good from pesky beast intruders . downfall and winter get hold modest mammal , such as mouse and rats , looking for protection from the winter winds . Beehives are notoriously attractive to these brute , and having one as an inhabitant is particularly troubling — namely because they are direful houseguest . rat and mouse will destroy comb , rust whatever they image , and urinate and defecate throughout the beehive . Knowing how hefty and clear honeybees are , these conditions might force them to abscond at the bad prison term of year . Now is the prison term to take precautions : First check for trespasser by doing a chimneysweeper of the bottom most super . Once clear , install metallic element mouse guards to the front entrance . One small chore means everyone sleeps well at night for the months to come .
Stabilize The Hive
The 2d capitulation criminal maintenance task I counsel is protect your beehive from wind and with child piranha . If you ’ve locate your hives with a windbreak in mind , your bee are already onward of the game . I like to take extra precautions for the winter as I live on a very windy mountainside — with many wild black bears roaming the woods . strap the supers together helps protect the winter cluster of bee within , should the beehive be blown ( or knocked ) over .
Feed If You Need To
Feeding honeybee for twilight maintenance or other reasons is a controversial topic among beekeepers , especially those who practice holistically and organically . It ’s worth doing your own research and some individual searching about your notion on this topic . Whatever you decide , make love that this is one of the last times to feed your bees if they are broken on stores . Once it dip below 55 degrees Fahrenheit regularly , bees will be ineffectual to leave their wintertime clustering to gather , process and lay in the liquid provender you provide , even if it ’s honey .
Clean Up, Throw Out, Take Inventory
Fall is a wondrous time of class to organize your beekeeping equipment . Clean out old woodenware , throw out what is diseased or beyond repair , and make distinction of what to purchase in the fountain . uninfected out honey harvesting equipment thoroughly , and store everything in a safe , dry place , away from potential predator and pests .
As a terminal fall maintenance labor , and a farewell to the beekeeping year , look back at your beekeeping journal from the preceding season and reflect on successes and failures . What run well ? What would you wish to change ? What did you savor about the last year ? Where can you improve ? Winter is a wonderful time to gather reading material and research new ways of beekeeping . Take the upcoming slower season to spill the beans with others doing the same and share notes with fellow beekeepers . While our bees work tirelessly to keep warm all wintertime , we can take advantage of the prison term to learn how to better support them in the twelvemonth ahead .
