Keeping Bees in September

This year September finds us with a cornucopia of fruit and vegetables, last year pears and apples on my property were few and far between. Blueberry bushes this year were laden with so much fruit my neighbors put up 70 quarts off of six plants and still left plenty for the birds, thanks to a healthy population from mason bees. This year mother nature is providing a bountiful harvest.

The interesting thing, even with the great weather compared to last year, my hives provided an average of 45 pounds of honey— same as last year.

Yellowjacket workers are in full force scavenging for food to feed the nests as the queens are laying workers in force. Now is the time to put out bait stations. This will knock out those nests before they have a chancee to produce queens for next year. I am hoping September is close to normal when it comes to honey bees and mites. Honey bees should be producing winter fat bees, and Varroa populations should be decreasing, provided you have been controlling mites.

Hives see several pressures this month, probably more so than any time of the year: Varroa, weather, food sources, and yellowjackets to name a few. Let’s hope we do not have the fires and/or smoke. So, I will cover them one at a time. These are all things you as a person managing one or hundreds of colonies can do. Do not think you can put them off until next month.

*Mites are your and my number one problem year around; if you, like many of us, treated your hives when you pulled those honey supers, you may have a false sense of well-being. When was the last time you did a mite count? Over the past several years now, I have seen a sharp increase in Varroa mites around the end of the month, and this is the time your hive will be producing those fat winter bees to get them through winter and into early spring. So, do not stop mite checks just because you treated already.

If you need help with deciding which treatment is best for you, get all the information you need in one place. You will find it at the Honey Bee Health Coalition website: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/resources/varroa-management/, including Varroa Management Decision Tool, Tools for Varroa Management (8th edition), and informative  videos.

*Weather is one of those things we have no control over, and we have been having more days with temperature in 80s and 90s. We can help the bees by supplying some kind of water source; you may have to experiment to find a source that your bees will use. Over the past 20 or so years, I have tried many of them­— from a pond to bird baths to no end. As it turns out, they like my wife’s flower pots and my lawn sprinklers, so we have added several saucers with lava rocks. For the last few weeks, we have needed to add water to these dishes several times a day; if they go dry, the bees will let us know.

*Food sources will soon be getting harder for your bees to find in many parts of the state; keep an eye on your hive entrance and, if you see a lack of activity or no pollen coming in, it may be necessary to supply them sugar syrup and protein (real pollen is the best protein). If your hive has a scale, it is easy to see when there is no nectar coming in as bees will be consuming their honey stores. I doubt we will see temperature getting down into the 50s, but, if we do, keep in mind that bees will not be taking up sugar syrup. Keep checking your hives’ weight by hefting the back of hive; there should be time to build up hive food stores before consistent cold temperatures arrive. If you have screen bottoms, you can use the sample board to confirm they are consuming food stores (yellow wax bits on your sample board).

*Yellowjackets may become a problem, depending on where you live. They can be very damaging to colonies, but they are everywhere. If you think you do not have them, go out to your hive very early in the day as yellowjackets fly at lower temperatures than honey bees. Traps and entrance reducers will help, but a strong population of healthy bees is your best defense. You may be using robber screens. If you are using the simple UC Davis one, they do not work to deter yellowjackets; so, if you are using the robber screen, put in an entrance reducer in addition to your screen. This will help those guard bees defend.

*One last thing: Work your hives safely. Keep in mind fire danger when using your smoker. Overheating in that bee suit can happen fast, so bring water and keep hydrated. Let someone know where you are if you need to work alone and carry a cell phone.

Ken Ograin

  • September