September in the beehive: Here are the beekeeper's chores

The check of the general state of the hive is the main occupation that engages the beekeeper in each of his visits to the apiary. September is the time when the state of stocks must first be assessed. A frame that is well occupied by bees has a homogeneous brood surrounded by honey stocks. Furthermore, it must be ascertained that there are frames used only for the purpose of storing nutrients for the survival of the family.

Another important aspect to observe is the state of the brood. Is the queen brooding? And if so, how? It is essential that healthy new bees are generated during these months that can survive the winter and raise new brood. What needs to be carefully assessed is the health of the entire colony. It must be checked for bees with deformed wings and, above all, for signs of American plague or sack brood. The first signs of American plague are the slightly perforated operculated cells. When these symptoms are noticed, a preliminary examination of the stick should be carried out. By inserting any stick into an operculum, if extracting it carries a gelatinous, stringy substance, it could be American foulbrood. It is then necessary to proceed with an actual diagnosis and, if positive, to proceed with reporting the disease to the relevant ATS.

Another pathology to watch out for, especially at this time, is that of bagged brood. Here too, one notices perforated brood cells on the surface, while inside the brood is irregularly arranged, yellowish in colour and tending to dry out. In strong families, the disease tends to regress spontaneously, but in the case of a strong infestation it can lead to the total destruction of the family. In many cases, however, it is sufficient to remove the brood frames showing symptoms and/or change the queen. By September, the anti-Varroa buffer treatments have long since been completed, but this does not mean that attention should not be paid to the dreaded mite. It is always necessary to check the state of the fall in the background to see if it is necessary to intervene again before the winter treatments.

Closely related to the health status of the family is the assessment of orphan status. If one has strong families, with young bees and an extension of up to 6-7 frames, it is possible to try the insertion of a new queen that has been previously fertilised. In this case, it is important to act in good time to avoid the development of a orphan family. If, on the other hand, the families are weak or not particularly numerous, it is recommended to practice their reunion. This procedure is not to be taken for granted and certain precautions must be followed to prevent families from sticking together. If the temperature outside is still high, many beekeepers proceed with the reunion using the newspaper method, while if it is cold, one can proceed directly without the use of various tools. What is strongly discouraged is to let the bees make their own queen.

By checking the state of the stocks, one can see whether there are families with more or less honey within the combs. If there are families that lack nourishment, it is advisable to proceed with additional nutrition. Generally, this is done by administering the syrup obtained from water, sugar and citric acid. If the families are really lacking in nutrition, many beekeepers recommend increasing the sugar ration. Feeding bees properly is very important both to allow them to replenish their food supply and to stimulate the queen to lay in order to create new bees that can survive the winter.

In September, when syrup is administered, as well as when inspections are carried out, great care must be taken to avoid looting. For this reason, one must avoid opening several crates at the same time and pouring the syrup outside the appropriate containers. It is good practice to start by reducing the size of the openings, both to enable the family to protect themselves from other bees in search of food, and to avoid the intrusion of predators.

As autumn approaches, we also begin to prepare the bees for the following winter. This may be the time to start reducing the number of frames or to start selecting the most worn and oldest ones with a view to later disposal and renovation. In this case, the most blackened and broodless frames can be taken and placed towards the outside of the nest or even beyond the diaphragm. In this way, the bees have a chance to clean them up. Some beekeepers also recommend moving the frames containing pollen away from the ends to avoid pollen moulding.

Another very important task that the beekeeper has to perform during these months, between September and October, is the storage of the honeycombs. Once the harvest is over, the honeycombs are removed and the honey extraction process is completed. Once all the honeycombs have been stripped of the honey they contain, the decision can be made to give them to the bees to clean out or to store them directly for next year. This task should not be underestimated because if performed incorrectly and without due care, it could lead to fermentation of residual honey or the development of the deadly wax moth. The honeycombs, which must only contain combs in which no brood has been laid, must be stacked in cool, dry places, absolutely unheated, and closed at both ends. They must then be treated against the wax moth.

September is still quite a busy month for the beekeeper. Checking stock, looting and the latest import can take up a lot of time. For this reason, using the help of a monitoring system can make all the difference in terms of saving time and money. Having reliable data on weight, temperature, humidity and sound at your fingertips at all times can benefit you in planning targeted inspections and interventions, and can help you curb abnormal events. Discover all the benefits of 3Bee monitoring systems.