Seasonal Tasks for the Beekeeper

The beekeeper needs to perform certain tasks that correspond to the activities of the bees themselves. Here is a general idea of what to do or look out for in certain times of the year.

Spring

If you are just starting out, this is when you will get your bees, whether from a bee supplier or a local swarm. If you have an established hive, spring is the best time to harvest honey! Once there are flowers blooming in your area, check your hive and harvest any honeycomb that the bees didn't use over the winter. The bees are eager to get rid of this honey, which will make more room in the hive for making new comb, and don't mind at all when you come in and remove it.

You can also check if they need any extra food by mixing some honey with warm water in a very small bowl or lid and filling it with sticks so the bees can drink it without getting stuck and drowning. There should be just enough liquid level that the bees cannot drown if they do get stuck. If the bees need a little extra sustenance, they will eat this honey. When they stop paying attention to it, you know they are getting enough from the spring nectar flows.

Summer

This is the time to enjoy watching your bees in the height of their working season. Watch them build comb and brood comb through the Backyard Hive window, see them bringing nectar back to their hive, and enjoy the glorious display of flowers that result in the increased pollination.

One thing to check for as you watch is to make sure the combs are hanging straight. If there is one crooked comb, all the rest after it will be built even more crooked. If you see a comb that isn't straight, you can either take it out and cut it off if it's really bad, or just bend it back into position by cutting just where it's not straight on the top bar and pressing the wax back on to the top bar to make it straight.

Fall / Autumn

Make sure the bees are making the opening to their hive smaller. If they aren't closing the door for the winter, slide in the hive door to close it for them. An open door means the hive will not be able to be heated properly and bees could freeze. If you harvest honey in the fall, make sure you leave plenty for the bees to use for food during the winter. As you become more familiar with your hive you will be more familiar with what the bees will use over a winter and what you can harvest.

Winter

Just before winter hits, you can cover your hive with a sort of "jacket" to help the bees out a bit and give them a running start in the spring with less recovery time from the harsh winter months. For winterizing I use the heavy duty clear plastic bags that come in rolls and are used for roofing projects. I slide a strip of r-19 insulation into the bag wrap it over the top of the hive and staple it along the bottom of the hive. It looks like a cozy jacket. You could also lay the insulation on the hive and cover it with plastic but then you have the fiber glass to contend with, this is why I use the bag.

This is surely not an exhaustive list, but it should get you started with a basic plan of what your beekeeping schedule will look like.

Before winter is a good time the treat the hive for bugs like Varroah and other infections.

The video below is of a member of the Essex County Beekeepers' Association, checking a Langstroth Hive.