Author Topic: some ideas for Oct  (Read 2519 times)

anderso

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • brokenbrough
some ideas for Oct
« on: October 17, 2012, 05:00:06 pm »
Things are quietening down in the Apiary as the days continue to get shorter, cooler and lots of rain. The first touches of frost had occurred and autumnal tints are in some of the trees, having had a wet winter, damp spring and wet summer we are looking at having a wet  autumn as well!
 
Apiguard treatments should now be complete. It’s too late to start Apiguard treatments now as the day time temperatures needs to be 15°c or above for the whole of the 4 week treatment period. Mite Away II can be applied if Varroa levels are still high or creeping up.
 
As usual there are still jobs to be done in preparation for winter and next year. What you do now will have a huge bearing on how your bees will survive the coming winter months and so affect your chances of a honey crop next year. Get the feeding and winter prep done earlier rather than later in the month.
 
Jobs to do in October
Feed – most brood boxes are extremely low on stores – some have nothing at all. 40lb of capped stores needs to be present by the end of October. This equates to 6-8 brood frames in a national hive fully capped with stores.
 
Make up strong or thick 2:1 syrup. 8lb sugar with 4 pints of water makes about a gallon of syrup. Some hives will require 2-3 gallons of syrup if little or no ivy honey comes in. This syrup needs heating to dissolve all the sugar. Add Fumidil B to the syrup once cool if your bees showed signs of dysentery and/or were slow to build up in the spring.  Send some bees to the National Bee Unit for testing (£10 per test, though it may have gone up)
 
If you have some old fermenting honey or honey with a high water content that won’t keep, feed it back to the bees now. Honey is better than syrup for the bees. Mix 50/50 with water and just heat to boiling point, skim and cool and feed as normal syrup (watch it doesn’t foam and boil over!).
 
Store licked dry supers on a spare floor (entrance closed) with a spare roof on top in a shady spot in the garden/apiary. This will enable frost to penetrate the whole stack and so keep wax moth under control.
 
Check average daily mite drop two weeks after Apiguard has been removed.
If Varroa levels are still high Mite Away II can be applied (formic Acid fume pads)
 
Bring hives back from the Heather. They need to be off by Halloween but will benefit from the Ivy before then (which isn’t available on the heath).
Hives brought back from the Heather need to be treated with Mite Away II.
 
Melt down/purify your cappings wax or brood supers. Surplus wax can be exchanged for new foundation.
 
Purchase oxalic acid in readiness for a December treatment. Store in the fridge.
Things to look out for A late honey flow from the ivy – some years a super or two can be made by strong colonies in most areas in October. You won’t need to feed so much if the ivy yields, though mild dry weather is required for a honey flow, rain washes out the nectar/pollen.   Extract ivy straight away as it sets almost instantly or cut out and melt down the comb to get out the set ivy if it sets in the comb, once capped.
 
 
Check your jars of honey and wax for showing over the next year
 
Masonry bee nest boxes are best over wintered in an unheated shed protected from the damp, so take them down and pack in an open box for storage.
 
 if you use frames make /repair them over the winter ready for next season.
 
Protect hives from other animals
when the revolution comes it will be a co-op

 

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