Honey Do Beekeeping Checklist for August
August means full a full-court press on food production in most hives. The bees are busy filling up their pantry for the winter. The bees gather a lot of late bloom pollen, they produce a lot of honey, and the beekeeper will notice a lot more activity outside of the hive. Beekeepers can identify if the colony is thriving by doing frequent external observations. When observing the exterior of your hive, look for signs of tampering; robbers and intruders can put the bees on the defensive... But know that the bees are just being bees
CHECKLIST
- Suggestion: Beekeepers may want to do fewer inspections this month. It can be hot outside, and this can tend to make the bees a little ornerier than usual. Plan inspections around cooler weather rather than super hot days. You’ll be more comfortable, too!
- Provide water, both inside the hive and outside of the hive. Fill the feeder jar with straight water and place it inside the hive. Set up a birdbath, rain barrel, or kiddie pool with corks in it for the bees to land on outside the hive
- Replace the water often (every day or so), and keep the water fresh. Droughts affect bees more significantly than other creatures, so keep this in mind during weeks with little to no rain
- Mark connected bars with an X to remind yourself that they should be moved as if they are a single bar
- If there are wide bars that are not attaching to the bars next to them, add spacer bars around them and note this in your Inspection Forms and Software
- As the hive begins to reach capacity, remove a few bars of honey and store them in the Harvest Box. Your Harvest Box should be stored in a cool, dry area, safe from pests. If you are unsure about pests, plug the entrances and tape the sides to limit their ability to invade
- Observation: Bees produce significant amounts of honey and build the bars wider. Pay attention to this using the following guidelines and always record your data in the Healthy Hive™ Management Software