NORTH SOMERSET BEEKEEPERS
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Advice through the changing seasons suited to local conditions in North Somerset
Advice for January
Check entrances are clear so bees can fly in and out
.
Heft your hives, add slab fondant if needed
Clean and prepare spare equipment, buy new at Winter Sales
(Supers, Nuc boxes, Replacement brood frames, Spare brood boxes, Queen excluders)
Plan your activities for the new year
(Increase, maximise honey crop, queen replacement, queen rearing, new techniques)
Enter NSBK club events for the year in your new diary
Print off new hive record cards
Read your christmas beekeeping books
Advice for February
Watch the bees for pollen intake
(Crocus, Salix, Viburnum, Blackthorn….)
Heft hives, consider feeding with syrup and pollen patties
Tidy up the apiary whilst the bees are not flying much
On a nice day, open the hives, find and mark the Queens
Organise your swarm collection kit for quick access
Collect and dry smoker fuel
Clean (& repaint) varroa monitoring boards
Advice for March
Ensure beekeeping tools and clothing are clean and ready for use
Arrange a bucket of washing soda to clean tools and gloves between hives
First quick inspection on a warm day
Look for Q, eggs & brood, sufficient stores (10 lbs), diseases.
Remove mouse guards and winter insulation
Start assessing mite fall every month (less than 4/day is OK)
Go to Branch apiary practice meetings
Take the BBKA module exams!
Go to Avon AGM and Spring Day School
Advice for April
First full inspections when warm enough (Shirt sleeve weather)
The 5 concerns of all inspections:
Check for eggs & healthy brood
Space to lay eggs and expand colony
Stores ‘til next inspection
Building up well
Diseases
Start weekly inspections
Assess temperament for later queen replacement
Remove old brood combs and replace with new
Consider doing a Shook Swarm or Bailey Frame Change procedure
If 7 frames of brood, put on super(s) with Queen excluder
Watch out for Queen cells preparatory to swarming. If Q cells present:
Read and consider:
[Queen Cells - WBKA]
Consider making up a small nuc to raise a fresh Queen
Consider doing a Pagden split or Demaree stack
(Important to keep Queen laying but stop colony swarming)
Advice for May
Continue weekly inspection looking for Queen cells
If 7 frames of brood, put on super(s) with Queen excluder
If Q cells present
Read and consider:
[Queen Cells - WBKA]
Consider making up a small nuc to raise a fresh Queen
Consider using a Snelgrove split or Demaree stack
(Important to keep Queen laying but stop colony swarming)
Advice for June
Continue with weekly inspections, watching for Queen cells
Continue swarm control measures
Collect swarms (get help if needed)
Ensure sufficient supers for main flow
Extract full supers
Mark (and clip?) new queens once sealed worker brood present
Advice for July
Continue weekly inspections, watching for Queen cells
Watch for swarms
Add supers (up to 1 a week)
Prepare extraction equipment and storage containers
Move nucs into full hives, or combine with current colonies, when ready
Advice for August
Clear and remove full supers for extraction
Extract, filter and store honey (Check water content)
Clean wet supers on hive, possibly use Certan against wax moth
Clean or replace old, dirty super frames
Move old brood frames to the edge of hive ready for replacement
Ensure the colony is left with space to hold ~35 lbs honey for the Winter
If you plan to use Apiguard, now is the moment
Advice for September
Feed colonies that need it
Deep National, 14x12, wooden hive weighs 15kg empty, requires 20kg stores)
Reduce hive entrance size to deter wasps
Full brood disease inspection, shake off all bees
Reduce apiary to planned number of colonies
Reduce inspections to fortnightly
Advice for October
Add mouse guards and protect from wood peckers etc.
Check stability of the hives, strap down ready for winter gales
Heft hives, final syrup feed if needed
Advice for November
Clean up apiary, tools and equipment
Join a study group to prepare together for a BBKA exam in March
Go to Branch AGM
Leave bees alone - Go on holiday!
Advice for December
Relax!
On a nice day, treat colonies with Oxalic Acid vapour, after sacrificing any extant capped brood
Monitor total mite fall (~2-300), in 3 days time, treat again if still too high
Insulate hive roof
Weather Updates: we recommend checking the weather forecast for the local area before looking at the relevant advice:
BBC Weather Forecast
Home
About Us
Latest News
Our Blog
Social Media Pages
Club Newsletters
Committee Meeting Minutes
Events & Courses
Members Section
Introduction
Apiary Rota
Become a Member
Membership Renewal
Group Purchase Scheme
Extractor hire
Members Facebook Group
Christmas supper
Hive Record Card
Education & Advice
For Beekeepers
Children, Youth groups and schools
Teachers and Youth group leaders
Seasonal Advice
LibraryBooks
Swarm Collection
Contact Us
Committee Meeting Minutes