Seasonal Management of Beehives
Beekeeping Tip for March (Full calendar available on this page as a link)
With days becoming shorter the Queen's egg production reduces, smaller brood nest and less replenishment of bee numbers.
Worker bees start forcing drones out of the hive as the nights become colder. You may see this as a scattering of dead bees outside the hive entrance.
Inspect hives at 3-4 week intervals for health issues, collecting surplus honey if there is any.
Hive close down, close bees down into one or 2 boxes to keep them warm. Feed colonies with insufficient food stores.
Small Hive Beetle traps need to be checked and refreshed with strong beetle activity at this time of year.
Occasionally tiny swarms may still occur, but they have little chance of survival.
March can be a bit tricky - autumn crops like Greybox Eucalypts can be in full blossom and bees are producing great honey, sometimes until May/Jun. Harvest or hive close down? - it depends on the weather. Feed colonies should be avoided by managing honey levels, feed syrup as a last resort.
The full Seasonal hive_management_calendar can be found here.
Worker bees start forcing drones out of the hive as the nights become colder. You may see this as a scattering of dead bees outside the hive entrance.
Inspect hives at 3-4 week intervals for health issues, collecting surplus honey if there is any.
Hive close down, close bees down into one or 2 boxes to keep them warm. Feed colonies with insufficient food stores.
Small Hive Beetle traps need to be checked and refreshed with strong beetle activity at this time of year.
Occasionally tiny swarms may still occur, but they have little chance of survival.
March can be a bit tricky - autumn crops like Greybox Eucalypts can be in full blossom and bees are producing great honey, sometimes until May/Jun. Harvest or hive close down? - it depends on the weather. Feed colonies should be avoided by managing honey levels, feed syrup as a last resort.
The full Seasonal hive_management_calendar can be found here.
