The artwork of beekeeping is nothing if not aseasonal action . The chores that will be required of apiarist are so specific to the time of year , there ’s no escaping the beautiful rhythm of the Earth making its way of life around the sun . For people like myself , this rhythm , this predictability , is what create beekeeping such a soothing an natural action . As each new time of year rolls around , you know what ’s expected of you and you could savor riding each wafture with your 60,000 sweet , buzzing booster .
Spring
The long days of natural spring ignite egg - egg laying in the settlement ’s queen and kick off brood - raising . As the day warm up and flowers begin blooming , a colony ’s size can surge from a few thousand bees to 10 of K in just a few weeks ’ clock time .
former give , however , is a thought-provoking time for beekeepers in areas where the conditions plays coy . bee that exit of starvation in wintertime usually do so at the very rootage of spring , so be sure to pay close tending to their love stores and provender on warmer days if necessary ( when temperature are over 55 degrees F ) .
Once spring is unfeignedly under style ( no more April teasing ) , beekeepers should catch for signal ofswarming . Strong colonies might require splitting , making two or more colony from one , and other swarming bar techniques . If your bee have outlive but you want to supplant an old queen , or they lost one in the winter , spring is the metre to re - queen for the year .
In some areas of the country , apiculturist might desire to root for springiness honey supers if they require to get a particular varietal of dear . Certain early spring blooms can make adorable ( and coveted ) special honeys , such as apple and peach prime .
Summer
summertime is the time of year to ramp up up strength . Weather is typically reliably strong , and there is an teemingness of flower . With this floral smorgasbord , honeybees take adequate space in the beehive to keep from swarming . Their disposition — and their principal goal — this season is to build up stores for winter . Come June , they are already concerned with the cold of January , so beekeepers should give them the chance to lend in and memory board load of honey and pollen : That means slenderize inspections to only those that are necessary ( so as to not disturb them more than necessary ) , and provide them with supers ( hive box ) to store beloved . During exceptional ambrosia flows , the bees may be able to fill up supernumerary honey supers , giving you a prospect toharvest your own honeyat the end of the summer .
Fall
The problem of beekeepers in the fall is to train the hive for winter . The bee have done the employment of building depot , so you do your part to protect them from the cold and dampen condition ahead . Remove the last of the honey supers and get going to clean up in preparation for the wintertime . Remember that the wintertime cluster is about the size of a football , so you would n’t want to bequeath the bee with a big hive , several boxes magniloquent , with beloved on one end and the brood nest ( where they cluster ) on the other , so in your fall inspections , digest the brood nest . Then move dearest and pollen flesh closer to the nest , and remove any supernumerary summer equipment . Check for mice andother pests , treat with medical varroa treatments ( if you prefer to ) , and set up the metal black eye guard at the entrance of the hive . Some beekeepers in coarse northern climates polish off the screened bottom plank from the summer and replace it with a solid one .
I also care to tip my hives forrard a flake to allow any condensation that builds to drain out during the winter . Wet bees in wintertime are stagnant bee , make no mistake . I also care to strap my hives tightly , go for all of the supers together in case it tips or fall , because we get winter bear activity and heavy wind where we last .
Winter
Winter is a restful season for apiarist . Your tasks are to sweep up on your reading , take inventory of your supply , reorder cloth and bees if necessary , and watch for signs of spring . Unfortunately , winter is not that restful for the bee , though . While they do go into a bit of a hibernation res publica , they ’re constantly oscillate in their bunch to keep fond and keep the brood nest raging enough to raise babies . At the centre of the nest is their most worthful asset : the queen . She confine her laying importantly in wintertime , but will remain laying to keep the population ’s numbers in a berth where the dependency can take off and rise again in give .
Remember , seasonal beekeeping job variegate bet on your exact geographical location , as well as the microclimate of your own apiary . You ’ll have to use your own judgement when it comes down to it ; use your suspicion and see to “ take ” the bee . When in incertitude , consult with your mentor , your local beekeeping guild or your county lengthiness office . And then enjoy the swing into each raw time of year !
