Links to useful information

Link to swarm box plans. horizontalhive.com/how-to-build/swarm-trap-free-plans.shtml

Perdue publications extension.entm.purdue.edu/beehive/publications.html

Beltsville Research Lab (they do various testing on bees) www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md/beltsville-agricultural-research-center/bee-research-laboratory/

Illinois Queen Initiative    www.illinoisqueeninitiative.com/iqi-producers-page/

Illinois Department of Agriculture Bees and Apiaries Program
www2.illinois.gov/sites/agr/insects/bees/pages/default.aspx

​August

AUGUST AND THE BEES : Since the nectar flow will be slowing down this month, the bees will become much more active, searching for nectar which will not as easy to find. At times, they will be using up more honey stores than they are bringing in. The bees are making a final effort to store up for winter, searching for final nectar sources. Golden rod and a few other plants can provide an average nectar flow in the fall.
 
AUGUST AND THE BEEKEEPER: If you have multiple hives, you must be careful not to let a strong hive rob a weak hive. If nectar is still coming in, continue to place supers on the hive. If they are still able to find nectar, make sure they have a place to put it. Be careful not to open up the hive for extended periods as other hives may try and rob the hive while it is opened.
 
September
 
SEPTEMBER AND THE BEES : The bees will still be working fall flowers but in most areas, the amount of honey produced in September will be minimum. The days are still warm enough to allow the bees time to gather more last minute nectar prior to the first major hard freeze or frost which will kill the flowers.
 
SEPTEMBER AND THE BEEKEEPER: This is the start of the beekeeper's year! What you do in September will determine how well your bees do next year, and how well they overwinter.
 
Consider requeening. You don't have to, if your queen has done well. But it is advisable to requeen in September. If you can afford to requeen your hive each year, it would be best to do so in September. A new queen means a much younger queen who has stronger pheromones and who will be more apt to lay eggs more efficiently in the Spring.  I don't replace a queen unless I see she is old and not producing well. If she is showing a good full brood pattern, I leave her alone. Some requeen every year no matter what. I feel it wasteful if she is still producing. You don't butcher a cow if she is still producing good milk, or a chicken that is a good egg producer so why kill a good laying queen. (just my personal take on the practice)
 
 
Weigh your hives. This is guess work unless you invest in a hive scale. Find something around the house that weighs around 70 pounds. Lift it up slightly with one hand. This will give you an idea what 70 pounds feels like. Now, go to your hives and with one hand, slightly lift the back. Only lift it an inch or two so that you can sense how heavy it feels. It needs to feel around 70 pounds. If not, you will want to start feeding the hive 2:1 sugar water. The girls can go through great amounts of stored honey in a month. This year, the first of June, my hives all had two full shallows of capped honey each. I did not pull them for harvest because I was fearing a drought. No rain at all in June and by the first of July, every box of surplus honey was empty. That is about 60 pounds per hive used in 30 days. It takes a lot of food to keep the field bees in the air and the house bees fanning to keep the hive cool.
 
Robbing can be a problem this time of the year. Be careful with feeders. Some feeders can start a robbing frenzy and any weak hives will fall victim.  My favorite feeder is the front feeder (Boardman) the one that slips into the front of the hive opening at the bottom and a mason jar slips down into it. Sometimes, if a hive is weak, bees from other hives can make their way to the front feeder, and eventually rob the hive. Always good to keep an eye on activity when feeding.
 
Also, stay out of your hive as soon as you finish your hive work. Propolis is the glue that holds all the pieces of the hive together. Every time you open your hive, you break the propolis seal and the bees have to go back through and fix what you broke.
 
October
 
OCTOBER AND THE BEES: There are less reasons for the bees to leave the hive. Flying is cut way down. The queen is laying very few eggs. They are now shifting to winter mode.
 
OCTOBER AND THE BEEKEEPER: Prepare your hives for winter. A wind break should be considered. Mouse guards.  A large hive will not die from cold weather. They stay warm by clustering in the hive. They keep each other warm. The temperature in the hive is only warm within the cluster. They do not warm the entire inside of their hive, only the cluster. They can survive extreme cold weather. But, moisture can develop within the hive as bees do give off moisture like we do. If this moisture gathers above them, it can drip onto the cluster. This is what can kill bees during the winter. They are much like us. We can be cold and get by. But, we cannot stay alive long if we become wet and cold. Bees can get wet in the summer and it is not a problem. But you must prevent your hive from becoming cold and wet from condensation developing within the hive.
 
Seal up cracks and possible air gaps. The bees will fill with propolis but if you can help them and make their jobs a little easier. It takes a lot less effort for you to seal up a hole than it does them.
 
Take off all your supers. There is no need for them now, and you will want to tighten up the hive by removing excess supers.
 
Entrance reducers. I like the shorter reducer so I can keep the Boardman feeder in place to feed on the warmer winter days.
 
 If you use screen bottom boards, put the restrictor board back in place. Wrap or no wrap? Black roofing paper works great. Insulated plastic wrapper. Keep in mind that by wrapping your hive, you might be increasing the chance for condensation to collect within the hive.
 
Winter winds can be strong, so place a heavy concrete blocks on your hives. 

​