Keep valuable records for this beekeeping year

• Keep accurate information for you locality and write it down
• Keep accurate information on what your hives have done and progress made during this first year.
• Take photographs of brood and brood chamber during spring, summer, and fall.   They will be reminders of what your hives looked like and what they will most likely look like again when the new year starts.

Being able to look over these notes during the winter is one step in the direction of having a handle on the upcoming bee season.

Develop a goal for next year.

• Do you plan to produce more honey?  If so, how!
• Do you plan to increase the number of hives you have?
• Have you considered winter losses?  Have you done everything you can to prevent unnecessary loss?
• Make your goals realistic.   I know a person who wanted to start beekeeping and he wanted to order 100 queens.  He didn't need any bees.  The queens would lay eggs and he would have bee hives from the work the queens did!   

Problems that all beekeepers face from time to time--

• Loss of a high percentage of bees.   Check hives often when you can in early and late winter.  Order packages to replace lost hives if necessary.  This needs to be done by mid - February.  Some beekeepers wait until it is too late.  Queens and packages are hard to get in April because package operators are all booked up.
• Order equipment early in the winter.  If you wait until spring, everyone else is doing the same thing.  Bee Equipment supplies may be out of what you need or you may be on back order for several weeks or more.   Wise beekeepers place orders early.

A check list for Late Summer and Fall Management for Next Years Honey Crop.

• Have you requeened--See that every colony has a good queen going into winter.
• Unite weak hives before winter.  Take your losses in the fall--Make your increases in the spring.
• Prepare for winter - Remove queen excluders, reduce entrances, and see that all equipment is bee tight.  You might allow for upper entrances for good ventilation.
• Be sure your hives have plenty of honey stores for the winter.
• Provide wind protection for your bees.  Bales of straw work well.
• Do as much of the spring work in the fall as you can.   Clean up equipment -- paint, etc. while the weather permits.
• Have you checked your mite populations? Did you medicate your hives for fall?  Many hives crash (sudden loss of population) just about the time the first frost arrives.  If you wait until the crash, it will be too late.  Best time to treat is right after the honey is removed.  For us in Ohio this is late August and early September.

Finally, check for dead hives in February and March.  Clean up the equipment before you need it again in April.   The new bee season always begins in fall rather than spring.   If you have not done the things that should be taken care of in the fall, it will be too late to do anything about what you should have done in the spring.

Other Beekeeping topics you may want to investigate---

What is going on in my state?  Do we have a university working on honey bee research?  If so, what are they doing?   Do I have one of the USDA labs near-by.  Can I arrange a visit?

What is my state beekeeping organization doing?  Are they promoting honey?  Education? Research? Getting Young People into Beekeeping? If not, what can you do to help!

Could you volunteer to teach beekeeping classes in your community?  How about talking to school principals to see if any of the classes study insects in their science lessons.  Offer to give talks.

We wish you a successful beekeeping year.  

Dana Stahlman