Beekeepers in the Pacific Northwest have experienced an extremely dry summer. Pollen and nectar have been in short supply in many locations. Among the most disappointing things in early spring are hives full of dead bees due to starvation. These hives are often the largest, most impressive populations in fall and winter that simply ran out of honey stores. And, of course, they died right before you needed them most. October usually gives us a chance to ensure adequate honey stores before the big cool down. NOW is the time!
We take time in early October and tilt (not lift) every single top box and assess weight. This also gives us a last peek and an opportunity to remove any residual treatment materials. We place a square of painter’s tape on hives with a number from 0 to 5. Zero means, honey bound, do not feed; 5 means that the hive will need multiple shots of syrup, etc. This does take time, but saves money and places focus on target.
While Varroa control strategies should be mostly complete at this time, we all know that there is variation in everything. Regardless of mite sampling, there will always be outliers with elevated mite populations. Addressing this, we have adopted the practice of conducting an oxalic vapor treatment on all hives before leaving each location for each visit in fall.
While we are all very tired, one last brief queen-check is smart money. Queen availability has been good this year—and well into October. Don’t give up on hives with issues just yet. You still have time. I always remember a year that Liz and I painted a new building in mid-November! Great year for fall hive repairs.
Mice are looking for a nice warm home as temps cool down. We
make extra effort to ensure that mouse guards are in place early. Comb area chewed away this year will result in drone comb area next year. Varroa would just love to see that! Don’t let it happen.
Lumber prices, after skyrocketing, have moderated some lately. Even then, taking extra steps to protect your hives and equipment as well as the bees is smart money. We like to have our hives covered with felt (not tar paper) prior to November in order to reduce moisture on and in hives. Freezing and thawing in unprotected hives can rapidly accelerate the decomposition of pine components, especially.
Speaking of equipment, when is the last time you packed or changed the wheel bearings on your trailers? How about your truck’s transfer case fluid? Differential oil? Forklift maintenance? October is when we start the making of to-do lists for rainy days to come.
Trucking was really tight this year and is only getting worse according to industry sources. Our truckers are facing many serious obstacles in conducting business. It is highly advised to start our dialog early with trucking companies this year. For your own private trucks, UCR registration opens in October. Prices have dropped again this year. Possibly THE ONLY price drop our industry has seen this year!
Whew! How can anyone keep up with everything? We must face the fact that things have changed in the past few years. In every aspect of our operations, thinking ahead, buying ahead, and scheduling ahead may save our bacon.
I hope you’ve had a good season and enjoy your badly needed off season!
Harry Vanderpool