• Sassafras Bee Farm
  • About
  • Contact

Beekeeping365

~ The more I studied beekeeping, the less I knew, until, finally, I knew nothing. But, even though I knew nothing, I still had plenty to unlearn. Charles Martin Simon

Beekeeping365

Category Archives: beekeeping calendar

Midlands Beekeeping Calendar for December

24 Thursday Nov 2022

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, beekeeping calendar

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

beekeeping calendar, Beekeeping in December, chores, Lorenzo Langstroth's birthday

12465943_10206651774307871_3902834830033799078_o

As always, all beekeeping is local. Here’s my beekeeping calendar for the South Carolina Midlands for the month of December:

12592690_10206761945022070_2944841313752569793_n

If you thought the beekeeping season was over you would be incorrect. The successful beekeeper continues his/her efforts over the winter to have success in the coming year.

Hive checks this month are tied directly to outside temperatures. Do not disturb the brood chamber or break propolis seals around boxes unless absolutely necessary. On a warm day with temperatures in the 60’s you may briefly remove the inner cover and view down between the frames. Try to not be too disruptive in order to allow them to keep their house (brood box) in order for winter. Use of a stethoscope or an ear against the side of the hive will often tell you all is well inside.

1) Clean, paint, repair equipment, assemble new equipment, build more hive stands, make some of those time saver gadgets, and replace any bad equipment. Remember, when spring arrives you will be very busy and won’t have as much time to construct needed hive bodies, build frames, wire (or wax) foundation, or build stands.

2) Check for excessive moisture in the hive. Lift the cover and note for wetness or mold indicating excess moisture. As needed, ventilate hives with a 1/16th inch crack at the front of the inner cover to prevent condensation and mold. Alternatively, many beekeepers maintain an upper entrance in their inner cover. Other methods of controlling excess humidity in the hive is by using a quilt box above the inner cover or using insulated outer covers. Typically we do not wrap our hives in the Midlands as our winters are not harsh. Remember, the bees can keep themselves warm if they have enough bees and enough food stores. It’s the moisture we are focused on preventing.

3) During winter, it is important to tilt the entire hive forward slightly with a shim placed under the hive in the back. This is especially true for those hives with solid bottom boards. A driving rain can pool water inside the hive and, coupled with lower temperatures and winter debris on the floor, will chill the bees. To a lesser extent we do this to allow condensation that forms above the cluster to run forward and down the front of the inside of the hive, preventing it from dripping on the bees. While this helps reduce condensation from above, it should not be the sole method of preventing overhead moisture (see # 2 above).

4) Continue to assess stores. Continue to heft the back of your hives to check for weight. (Not having to open the hives in the cold weather is why you learned this method earlier in the year to assess food stores.)

5) If needed, feed using a low moisture method such as a candy board or fondant. Another method of winter feeding that also reduces moisture in the hive is the Mountain Camp method.

6) Order packages, nucleus hives, and queens for delivery mid to late March or as early as possible for your area.

7) Review and evaluate how well your bee colonies performed this year and make decisions on how to improve your operation, particularly regarding disease management and pest control such as Varroa mites, small hive beetles, and wax moths. Document your findings in your beekeeping journal.

8) Plan now for changes you’re going to implement next season. Will you explore making splits, raising queens, increasing your honey yield, producing nucleus hives, or pollinating crops for income? Set goals now and prepare for next year’s success.

9) Call, visit, or write farmers or landowners where you’d like to place hives for out yards next spring. Use Google Maps to scout likely locations.

10) Renew your membership in your local Beekeepers Association. Attend local club meetings. Register for your state’s Spring Beekeepers conference.

11) Scout trees and other locations for bait hive placement and prepare swarms traps (bait hives). Read Bait Hives and Swarm Traps by McCartney Taylor, available for checkout from the Mid-State Beekeepers library.

12) Construct a swarm capture bucket for those spring swarm calls that inevitably come during swarm season.

13) Build a nucleus hive now to keep in your car or truck for community swarm captures next spring. These small hives are also very handy to have on hand when you see swarm cells in your own hives and need to move a queen or queen cells to capitalize on, or survive, an unexpected reproductive event.

14) Order or ask Santa for a copy of that beekeeping book you’ve been wanting to read. Read some every day.

15) If, for some reason you have not yet treated for Varroa, this time of year presents the Midlands with as close to a broodless period as we get. A cheap, economical, quick and easy, method of Varroa treatment during this broodless period is the oxalic acid dribble. Read about how it’s performed here: Once a Year Opportunity to Save on Varroa Treatment.

lorenzo_langstroth_

16) December is an excellent month for selling honey. Farmer’s markets, holiday festivals, and other events are great places to sell your golden treasure.

17) Celebrate Lorenzo Langstroth’s birthday on December 25.

The above are general guidelines for the average bee colony in the Midlands of South Carolina. We all have hives that may be outperforming the average. We also have colonies that underperform the average. Use your judgement in making changes suggested here. Beekeeping is an art as well as a science. Only you know the many, many particulars associated with your physical hives as well as the general health and population of your colonies.

Advertisement

Feel free to share this on:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Print
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • WhatsApp
  • Skype

Like this:

Like Loading...

Beekeepers get ready for Spring in the Fall

04 Tuesday Sep 2018

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, beekeeping calendar, calendar, management, sustainable

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beekeeping, management

14232030_10208459108490096_9121377691696327893_o.jpg

Get ready for Spring!

Lots of articles speak to the beekeeping year beginning in August or early Fall. Yikes, that’s now!

If you harvested in June then you probably fed your bees through the dearth. If you waited until now to harvest you probably got less honey but you saved the costs associated with feeding. Either way, now is the time to build the best bees you possibly can for the winter.

I know it’s still hot but get back in there on the next reasonably nice day and assess them. You don’t really have to take every frame out and make them upset but get an idea of what they have. Look for capped and uncapped brood, pollen, and honey stores. And start picking up the back of that hive and compare it to what you see inside so you learn what’s heavy and what’s not.

We’re on the cusp of the Fall flow and soon your hive will start to stink from goldenrod pollen. That smell should bring a smile to your face as they are making preparations for winter and raising fat winter bees. Some of you may have more honey than you need, others will see some empty comb. Read your hive and, like an artist, choose your tools to create the ideal hive for overwintering.

Most beekeepers assess and treat for Varroa after they pull honey whether that was a couple months ago or now. You want to do everything possible to increase the health of your bees now so they, in turn, raise strong winter bees over the next two generations. Sickly bees build sickly bees; strong bees build Arnold Schwartenegger bees. You want Arnold on your side when the temperatures are 20 degrees in January and the pantry is waning.

Beekeepers that started this year will reach the pinnacle of their beekeeping in March 2019. Then they will have bees-a-plenty and the race to stay ahead of the bees becomes an exciting and enjoyable problem. Using this year’s drawn comb they will explode. The bees will be saying, “Scotty, give me all you’ve got.” and you’ll be saying, “Captain, I don’t think she can take much more! She’s gonna swarm!” (pardon the paraphrase).

But, back to the topic at hand – building better winter bees. Time now to step up your game one more time before we enter the long dull days of winter. Although most days in the Midlands of South Carolina allow for the bees to fly they won’t be flying much because there won’t be anything out there. And you’ll be stuck inside wishing for Spring to come and waiting for that first Red Maple bloom, or with your ear to the side of the hive listening for their hum as they convert honey into heat.

So, assess them now and and get them flying towards a hive full of strong winter bees and a hive filled with lots of stores for the long winter ahead. Go for it! Build better bees!

Picture: Early Spring bees. Notice no leaves on the trees yet.

Feel free to share this on:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Print
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • WhatsApp
  • Skype

Like this:

Like Loading...

Beekeeping Calendar and Seasons – Springtime

26 Thursday Apr 2018

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, beekeeping calendar, beekeeping seasons, calendar, seasons

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beekeeping, seasons

What to do through the spring season in beekeeping – check out our list of simple, spring beekeeper activities.

via Beekeeping Calendar and Seasons – Springtime — Prime Bees – College Station Bee & Honey Farm

Feel free to share this on:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Print
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • WhatsApp
  • Skype

Like this:

Like Loading...

Image

Winter in the Nuc Yard

31 Wednesday Jan 2018

Tags

beekeeping, seasons

12592690_10206761945022070_2944841313752569793_n

Saying goodbye to January.

 

Feel free to share this on:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Print
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • WhatsApp
  • Skype

Like this:

Like Loading...

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm | Filed under beekeeping, beekeeping calendar, beekeeping seasons, calendar, seasons

≈ 5 Comments

Great hives from little nucs grow

26 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, beekeeping calendar, beekeeping seasons, calendar, management, seasons

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beekeeping, management, seasons

We have had a few weeks of spring lately, with the air full of pollen and the bees going crazy. Rain and cool weather returned this weekend, so I am not able to work outside. I am instead sitting inside and writing this early spring update. A year will come when I feel that my […]

via Great hives from little nucs grow — Bees with eeb

Feel free to share this on:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Print
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • WhatsApp
  • Skype

Like this:

Like Loading...
Follow Beekeeping365 on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Calendar

March 2023
S M T W T F S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Nov    

Posts by Month:

  • November 2022 (1)
  • September 2022 (1)
  • July 2022 (1)
  • March 2022 (13)
  • February 2022 (17)
  • January 2022 (4)
  • December 2021 (4)
  • November 2021 (7)
  • October 2021 (1)
  • September 2021 (3)
  • August 2021 (11)
  • July 2021 (18)
  • June 2021 (5)
  • May 2021 (2)
  • April 2021 (9)
  • March 2021 (2)
  • February 2021 (5)
  • January 2021 (16)
  • December 2020 (15)
  • November 2020 (15)
  • October 2020 (11)
  • July 2020 (1)
  • February 2020 (1)
  • March 2019 (2)
  • February 2019 (4)
  • January 2019 (1)
  • December 2018 (10)
  • November 2018 (8)
  • October 2018 (15)
  • September 2018 (25)
  • August 2018 (13)
  • July 2018 (11)
  • June 2018 (27)
  • May 2018 (33)
  • April 2018 (20)
  • March 2018 (20)
  • February 2018 (12)
  • January 2018 (22)
  • December 2017 (18)
  • November 2017 (17)
  • October 2017 (25)
  • September 2017 (27)
  • August 2017 (22)
  • July 2017 (29)
  • June 2017 (28)
  • May 2017 (19)
  • April 2017 (17)
  • March 2017 (19)
  • February 2017 (12)
  • January 2017 (13)
  • December 2016 (5)

Posts by Categories:

  • absconding (1)
  • africanized honey bees (1)
  • apitherapy (1)
  • bee health (6)
  • bee law (2)
  • bee lining (2)
  • bee removals (2)
  • beekeeper (5)
  • beekeeper education (16)
  • beekeeping (615)
    • South Carolina (2)
  • beekeeping author (10)
  • beekeeping books (14)
  • beekeeping calendar (5)
  • beekeeping chores (8)
  • beekeeping equipment (25)
  • beekeeping history (49)
  • beekeeping management (38)
  • beekeeping pest management (9)
  • beekeeping seasons (23)
  • beekeeping vocabulary (16)
  • beeswax (13)
  • biography (4)
  • biology (14)
  • birthday (40)
  • birthdays (34)
  • book review (16)
  • breakfast (1)
  • calendar (4)
  • CCD (1)
  • chores (6)
  • comb (7)
  • comb honey (10)
  • commercial beekeeping (2)
  • cutouts (2)
  • dearth (3)
  • defensiveness (2)
  • diseases (9)
  • drawn comb (6)
  • ecology (4)
  • education (28)
  • equipment (25)
  • extracting (1)
  • fall nectar flow (1)
  • famous beekeepers (27)
  • feeding bees (8)
  • first blog entry (1)
  • folklore (1)
  • food (7)
  • forage (4)
  • hacks (3)
  • hive inspections (8)
  • hive placement (2)
  • hive products (6)
  • honey (91)
  • honey as food (23)
  • honey bee anatomy (3)
  • honey bee behavior (25)
  • honey bee biology (43)
  • honey bee genetics (4)
  • honey bee nutrition (1)
  • honey bee photos (6)
  • Honey Bee Research (1)
  • honey bee vocabulary (12)
  • honey bees (14)
  • honey judging (4)
  • honey recipe (68)
  • humor (14)
  • inspections (10)
  • journal (1)
  • log book (1)
  • making increase (3)
  • management (84)
  • mentoring (2)
  • mites (3)
  • national pollinator week (2)
  • nectar flow (6)
  • nomenclature (1)
  • opinion (8)
  • out yards (1)
  • outyards (1)
  • package bees (1)
  • pears (1)
  • pests (18)
  • plants for bees (3)
  • polish (1)
  • pollen (4)
  • pollination (11)
  • pollinators (7)
  • product review (1)
  • production (1)
  • products (3)
  • propolis (2)
  • queens (17)
  • raw honey (7)
  • recipe (91)
  • removals (1)
  • safety (3)
  • sales (2)
  • season (1)
  • seasons (21)
  • sideliner (1)
  • small hive beetles (1)
  • spring buildup (4)
  • state fair (2)
  • sustainable (7)
  • swarms (26)
  • ursurpation (1)
  • usurpation (1)
  • varroa (22)
  • varroa destructor (13)
  • varroa mites (26)
  • Winter (5)
  • winter solstice (2)
  • woodenware (3)
  • yellow jackets (2)

Sassafras Bee Farm on Facebook

Sassafras Bee Farm on Facebook

Sassafras Bee Farm

Sassafras Bee Farm

Recent Posts

  • Midlands Beekeeping Calendar for December
  • Helpful Hints as You Prepare Your South Carolina State Fair Entry
  • Happy Birthday Petro Prokopovych
  • Why did my bees die?
  • Happy Birthday Dr. Wladyslaw Zbikowski

Beekeeping365 on Facebook

Beekeeping365 on Facebook

Top Posts & Pages

  • Clustering, Torpor, and Trehalose
    Clustering, Torpor, and Trehalose
  • A pint is a pound the world around...
    A pint is a pound the world around...
  • Building Inexpensive Nucleus Hive Boxes and Queen Mating Nucs
    Building Inexpensive Nucleus Hive Boxes and Queen Mating Nucs

Blog Stats

  • 106,092 hits

Website Built with WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Beekeeping365
    • Join 422 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Beekeeping365
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: