November Beekeeping Chores
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Feeding bees thick sugar water inside the hive to help them get ready for winter. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
November Beekeeping Chores
The beekeeping season is winding down in mid-Missouri but there are still some important things for beekeepers to do.
Since our fall nectar flow was poor and my bees consumed some of their stored spring nectar, I am feeding a couple of colonies sugar water so they can save their honey for winter. Because it is so late in the season, I am giving them two parts sugar to one part water, a thicker syrup than I would feed in spring.
All entrance reducers have been turned to the smallest entrance, more to keep mice out of the hives as temperatures fall.
They will also get an insulated wrap to help cut any winter winds that may hit our hillside.
Once we have our first hard frost, I will have a small window of about 2 months where I can apply oxalic acid vapor to the colonies to knock down Varroa mite levels. This is a period when the queen is not laying so there’s a bigger chance to kill off Varroa mites that don’t have nursery cells where they can reproduce.
This is also the time of year to add supplemental food at the top of the hive. I make sugar cakes to provide my bees with emergency food in case they run out of their stores. A lot can happen to my bees I have little control over but I can make sure they don’t die of starvation.
And for beekeepers this is the beginning of the reading season, catching up on all off those magazines they didn’t read earlier.
If you are a new or imminent beekeeper, this is a good time to read A Beekeeper’s Diary Self-Guide to Beekeeping. It includes a first and second year calendar so beginning beekeepers have a better idea of what to expect month to month.
