Meadow Bees Beetrained by the Best
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The following list is an example of a beekeeping year for people in UK latitudes.
| MONTH | ACTIVITY |
|---|---|
| January | Check roof and entrances of hives for blockages by leaves or snow |
| February | Check hives for food, feed as necessary. Keep inspection time to the absolute minimum |
| March | [list_item]Change/clean floor[/list_item] [list_item]Continue to monitor food levels[/list_item] [list_item]Monitor Varroa levels, this continues through the season from now on. High levels of mites found will need treating sooner rather than later.[/list_item] |
| April | [list_item]First inspection on mild day, checking health , food, queen is ok (Queenright)[/list_item] [list_item]Replace old comb[/list_item] |
| May | [list_item]Start weekly swarm prevention inspections[/list_item] [list_item]Add honey supers as necessary[/list_item] [list_item]If hives require new queens then start the breeding and swarm prevention measures[/list_item] |
| June | [list_item]Continue the weekly swarm prevention inspections and add supers as required[/list_item] [list_item]If the bees have been getting nectar from early Oil Seed Rape (OSR) then this honey will need to be removed.[/list_item] |
| July | [list_item]Continue adding honey supers as required[/list_item] [list_item]Continue inspections and monitoring hive health.[/list_item] |
| August | [list_item]Remove the main honey crop[/list_item] [list_item]This is the best time of year to treat for Varroa[/list_item] [list_item]Restrict the hive entrance to prevent other bees or wasps from robbing the hives[/list_item] |
| September | [list_item]Feed the bees in preparation for the winter[/list_item] [list_item]Remove any Varroa strips at end of treatment period[/list_item] [list_item]Sort out how many hives you want to start next year with by reducing your hive count, combining two into one[/list_item] |
| October | [list_item]No further internal inspections from now on[/list_item] [list_item]Fit mouse guards ready for the onset of winter[/list_item] |
| November | [list_item]Check externals routinely especially after severe weather in case of storm damage.[/list_item] |
| December | [list_item]As November, but also attend association meetings and prepare plans for next year[/list_item] |
