Seasonal
Management
The Beekeeping Year
August
Remove honey & treat for Varroa
September/October Feed colony and remove Varroa strips
Nov./Dec./Jan.
Protect from mice & woodpeckers, occasional
checks for damage and sufficient stores
Feb./March
Check for sufficient stores and consider
feeding to stimulate egg laying
March/April
First full inspection, remove mouse guards.
Replace old brood combs. Check for disease
and ensure queen is marked (and clipped)
May
Swarm control, routine inspections, add supers
June
Swarm control and check colony for major
build up
July
Add supers as the honey comes in
Colony Population through the year
60000
Brood
Adults
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
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O
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Ju
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Ju
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M
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Ap
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 The beekeeping
year will vary
 In different regions
 Sources of honey
 Climate
 Annual cycle linked
to flowering times!
 Seasons illustrated
may vary by at
least a month
Courtesy of Google Images
Apiary 2
Date
2000
Q
QC
4/3
x
X
1/4
x
X
22/4

B
7/5

Colony 4
Queen bred from Apiary 1 Colony 1 in 1999
Brood Stores Room Health Varroa
Temper
Feed
Health
Supers
Weather
Notes
5
5

l
10
1
LS
0
S,
15
Removed mouse guard
5
5

l
10
1
LS
+1
S,
17
Replaced floor board with
varroa floor
X
e 4 10
5
9
0
+2
C,
19
Roof needs repainting
X
e 7 25
5
200 10
0
-1
S,
21
Cut grass under hive

e

CB 200

 Bees cluster to keep warm
 Use honey and shiver to
generate heat
 Wind, frost pockets
 Mouse guards
 Protection (woodpeckers)
 Check food stores
 Feed if neccessary
 Remove and store empty supers
 Complete varroa treatment
 Check for other diseases
 Move old & damaged frames to side
 Protect from mice and woodpeckers
 Ensure hive is weatherproof & secure
30,000 workers
1 queen
No drones
Season
Objective:
September / October / November
Autumn:
Disease & Pest free colony with young queen & sufficent stores for winter
Forage & Colony Cycle key points:
Disease control
Main Crop finished unless preparing for Ling Heather. Late forage from Balsam & Ivy
Colony size diminshing, maximise & protect last broods for winter stock
Supers
removal of Honey for extraction
replace for cleaning, on same hive
Store drawn supers and protect from Wax moth
eg. Fumigation, freezing and seal
Brood
Check for stores & plan for feeding regimen
NBFrame ~ 2.25 kg (5Lb)
Check for Disease: Foul Brood
Take samples for Acarine & Nosema
Hygenic characteristics of colony
Check size of colony & estimate size
(laypattern) for entering winter
Varroa count (>3 /day) & begin treatment (chemical)
Continue feed in to min of 16kg and/or if Ivy nectar not desired
Add super for stores if egg laying persists
Super frame ~ 1.1kg honey
Nosema Tx in Syrup feed
Queen
consider uniting or reducing to nucleus
if size not adequate i.e. 9 frames of bees
Continue with varroa Tx min 6 weeks
Assess quality: laying rate & pattern , temperament
Age; > 2 years consider replacement
or moving to nucleus for breeding stock
Ensure Queen is marked & in good condition
Pests
sdfoster 27/11/09
Protect against Robbing, reduce entrance size
Feed in Evenings if possible
Mouseguards
Robustness of Hive stand
Tie down Hives if exposed position re winds or large mammals
remove landing board (birds_
Wire netting/plastic if woodpeckers an issue
Ventilate: Crown board spacers, mesh floor (after Thymol Tx),
remove dummy boards - to avoid growth of mould
 Bees cluster to keep warm
 Use honey and shiver to
generate heat
 Wind, frost pockets
 Mouse guards
 Protection (woodpeckers)
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Flying bees – check for staining
Heft hive – check stores
Winter Varroa treatment
Repair damaged hive components
Observe outside for damage
Ensure entrance not blocked
 Bees / Snow
10,000 workers
1 queen
No drones
December / January
Objective: Hives remain in intact and undisturbed
Plan for Spring & Summer Colony management
No forage
Protect and maintain
Queen starts laying and brood begins to increase as days lenghten
Stores: check later on by weight/hefting only
Maintain ventilation: removal of snow from entrance
Monitor varroa: if > 8 mites / day
Consider oxalic / lactic acid Tx
Clean: base/plinth of hive debris and dead bees
Apiary :
removal of weeds , cut back Summer growth
sdfoster 27/11/09
Colony Population through the year
60000
Brood
Adults
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
er
mb
ce
De
er
mb
ve
No
er
tob
Oc
r
be
em
pt
Se
h
st
gu
Au
ly
Ju
ne
Ju
y
Ma
ri l
Ap
rc
Ma
y
ry
ua
br
Fe
ar
nu
Ja
 Colony increases rapidly
 First inspection – Brood
issues
 Monitor varroa levels
 Swarm control -1 week
inspections
40,000 workers
1 queen*
400 drones
February / March
 Quick inspection




5 mins. max
Stores OK
Queenright & laying
Sufficient adult bees
 Remove mouse guard
 Feed candy & pollen, if required
 Plan the season ahead
Early Spring: February / March
Objective: Build Colony for Spring flow in April
Forage & Colony: Rapid increase in demand but forage sparse
Nectar in March sparse Dandelion, Sycamore,
Pollen imports for brood , snowdrop, crocus, willow, hazel yew
Watch stores carefully as more brood than adults in March
danger of chilled brood and brood diseases as adults stretched
as minimum population of adults in February
Stores:
Brood rearing and lack of income quickly diminishes
Stimulative feeding 50/50 ( they need water)
Protein patties if area short on pollen
Brood Box:Count varroa > 2/day action dusting, exomite, bayvarol
Brood comb change: Bailey or Shook swarm,
Clean floor / move to mesh floor ( if not already on
sample for nosema , check entrance for signes of diarrhoea
Brood comb change /
Sufficient space for laying - remove old stores as necessary
danger of chilled or chalk brood
balance with need for mesh floor & varroa control
remove mouseguard and winter ventilation
return dummy boards - open crown board
repairs to boxes as necessary
Queen:
marked & condition
consistent build up of brood- record/monitor weekly
consider replacing as necesary
 Colony increases
rapidly
 Monitor varroa levels
 Treat if required
 First inspection
 Shirt sleeve weather!
 Ribes in flower
 Ensure adequate
equipment for swarm
control
30,000 workers
1 queen
400 drones
Late Spring: April / May
Objective: Collect early flow & watch for swarming
Forage & Colony cycle: OSR management, Sufficient room for first big flow
Hawthorn , blackthorn, chestnut, Topfruit, currants, gooseberry, bluebells,
Bee Population rising rapidly potential for varroa to get out of control
Adult bees and Brood in equal amounts end of April
Stores:
Queen excluder and add 1 st super
preference for over supering
Extract & return supers after flow & feed if necessary
monitor sources of nectar for quantity
& type eg: rape, quick granulation
Brood Box:Sufficient room to lay
Monitor carefully for signs of swarming i.e.
egg laying rate, Drones, Queen size, Q cups & cells
Identify reasons for poor build up in strength
add another half (super) or full brood box
Disease: watch the Varroa count > 1 / day
Drone brood removal & count varroa
Icing sugar (& mesh floor if not done)
Queen:
Build up as expected (ex disease) if not plan to requeen
Similarly age of Queen may demand plans for replacement
Queen rearing procedures begin May
possibly in conjunction with swarm control.
Pests:
Cattle stock released for outside grazing
Inquisitive Humans
 Add supers
 Under / Over
 Check for queen cells
 Combine small healthy
colonies
 Many bees = excess honey
 Ensure hives are bee
tight
Up to 60,000 workers
1 queen
Up to 1000 drones




Loss of bees
Loss of honey
Nuisance to neighbours
Most swarms left in wild are doomed
 Many bees = excess honey crop
 Remove crop in early August
to 70,000 workers
 Ensure hives are bee-tight Up
1 queen
 Robbing by bees and waspsUp to 1000 drones
 Extract the honey and store
Summer: June / July / August
Objective: Collect
maximise
main
foraging
flow inforce
July in June to collect main summer flow
Forage & Colony Cycle: June gap n/s in Twickenham due to Limes & Bramble
often a steady income if weather OK but check !
Summer vegetables, herbs, clover & meadow plants (weeds)
Adult Bee population peaks at end of June
Brood peaks early/ mid June
Stores:
watch out for stores in June if there is any gap in flowering
or bad weather
super carefully, under super and adjust frame spacing
to maximise load
but check for overcrowding
remove for extraction as water content allows
Brood box:maintain inspections for swarming signs
Manage brood space combs, add space, remove pollen and Honey
filled combs as necessary
unite smaller colonies in June to maximise foraging force in July
Disease:
Potential for massive varroa build up with increase in brood
Varroa
Integrated Pest
management of Varroa
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Control at several points of the year makes it
harder for the mite population to reach
harmful levels
• Use of management methods can reduce
the need for varroacides
• Using two or more unrelated varroacides
will delay the development of mite resistance
• Control strategies can be easily altered to
reflect changing infestation levels
Bee Brood & Varroa populations
Integrated Pest management
Treatments for Varroosis
Icing Sugar
Dusting bees
with icing sugar
Apiguard
Tray of Apiguard
with removable foil lid
Pyrethroids
Inserting
Apistan strip
Oxalic Acid
Narrow eke
50 ml Syringe
with polythene
tube extension
and protective
sleeve
Monitoring varroa
Keeping Bees
 Livestock not totally wild
 Spring and Summer
 Busy times, weekly inspections
 Affects your holiday plans
 Much that an go wrong
 Manipulation skills
 Disease knowledge
 Plants & Forage