Bedford Beekeepers Monthly Suggested Activity Calendar
January
Disturb your bees as little as possible.
Watch for dead bees as signs of cleaning, check top covers are on, etc.
Make sure equipment is ready; paint, repair, assemble as needed, supers ready, etc.
Order packaged bees or nucs.
Keep entrances clear of snow.
Check entrance reducers and mouseguards if you use them.
February
Check your food sources and add sugar/candy board if needed.
Check for dead outs. If you think the hive is dead wait for a warmer 40-degree day and peek in the top to make sure. Do autopsies and decide if the hive succumbed to queenlessness, starvation, or disease? Clear entrances of snow, dead bees and other debris.
March
Check inside hive if weather allows.
Feed if necessary. March is starving time for bees in this area! Add candy/sugar as needed.
Add pollen patties to stimulate brood production.
Merge weak colonies.
Bees should begin gathering pollen as weather allows.
April
Do hive inspections.
Clean bottom board, remove screened bottom board covers.
Reverse hive bodies if necessary.
Test for mites.
Feed sugar water if weather is above 50 degrees as needed.
Put out swarm traps mid- to late-April.
Put on queen excluder and add supers. The ‘Rule of Thumb’ for putting supers on hives is when the dandelions bloom.
May
Make sure strong hives have plenty of room, add supers as needed.
Check for swarm queen cells.
Check brood pattern, consider requeening if needed.
Make splits or nucs early May.
June
Swarm season still in effect, continue to monitor for queen cells, eggs, & brood.
Make sure strong hives have plenty of room, add supers as needed.
Honey flow should be at its peak now, colony should have reached full strength. Remove entrance reducers on strong hives.
Observe entrances, watch landing pattern, pollen, etc.
Check listless hives, may be queenless or some other problem.
Check for mites at end of month.
July
Make sure the bees have a steady supply of water.
Dearth of nectar may occur. This may lead to robbing activities. Try to limit the time you are in the hive, observe weaker hives for robbing problems. Consider the use of entrance reducers or robbing screens, and combining or boosting weak hives to make them stronger.
Remove and extract supers containing capped honey.
Return supers to hive for clean up.
August
Continue to remove and extract capped honey supers.
Make sure to continue to provide water source.
Dearth probably will continue.
Bearding due to heat will be normal, make sure hives have adequate ventilation.
Prime time for mite levels to increase significantly. Test, may be time for fall treatment.
Watch for small hive beetle & wax moth in weaker hives, merge weaker hives and/or requeen.
September
Make sure to have supers on for late-season golden rod and wildflowers nectar flow.
Examine hives, check brood pattern, requeen as needed.,
Continue to monitor mite numbers, treat as needed.
Check hive weight. Check for adequate food stores. Begin fall feeding if needed.
Install entrance reducers, especially if feeding.
October
Final harvest of fall honey crop, remove extraneous supers as well.
Continue fall feeding as needed. Each hive will need at least 60 lbs of honey stores for winter.
November
Winter preparation; reduce entrances if you haven’t already. Holes should be on their smallest. Install mouse guards if needed.
Install screened bottom board covers.
Remove all queen excluders.
Add your emergency food sources: candy boards, sugar patties, etc.
Tip hives forward with a shim so water and snow can run outward.
Provide a wind break.
Wrap if you need to with tar paper or other dark heat absorbing materials.
December
Disturb your bees as little as possible.
Watch for dead bees as signs of cleaning, check top covers are on, etc.
Keep entrances clear of snow.
Check entrance reducers and mouseguards if you use them.