All of the libraryThe year
The beekeeping year
Every guide plotted against the months it matters. The bars show when something is worth reading; the marked months are when the job actually has to happen.
All 66 guides, across the year
Showing November
GuideJFMAMJJASOND
the month it matters most also worth reading
Month by month
January
- Oxalic acid: trickling, vaporising and the broodless windowTreat in the broodless window, which in most of the UK is late December into January
- January in the apiaryMidwinter, with the cluster tight and the queen about to start laying again
- Planning next season from your recordsThe winter months, between closing the hives up and the first spring check
- Hive types used in the UKRead it before you buy, and January is when most people plan the next season
- Fondant: when and how to feed itFrom the end of October, when syrup stops working, through to spring
- Dead bees at the entranceWinter, when the old bees die off and the entrance is the only thing you see
- Cleansing flightsThe first mild days after a cold spell, from midwinter to early spring
February
- February in the apiaryLate winter, with the queen laying again and the stores running down
- Hive types used in the UKRead it before you buy, and January is when most people plan the next season
- Spotting starvation, and emergency feeding in the coldStores only go down from December, and March and April are when a growing colony burns through them fastest
- A dead colony: working out what happenedThe dead colonies get found in the first warm spell, so February and the start of March is when most people open up and look
- Dead bees at the entranceWinter, when the old bees die off and the entrance is the only thing you see
- Cleansing flightsThe first mild days after a cold spell, from midwinter to early spring
March
- Spring feeding and pollenMarch and April are when the stores run out fastest and pollen is shortest
- Choosing and laying out an apiarySites are chosen and set up before the bees arrive, so late winter into spring
- The first inspection of the year, and what can waitLate February or early March once the bees are flying freely, and before April, because an expanding colony gets through its stores fast
- How often to inspect a hiveThe rhythm changes all year, and it is worth knowing before the swarming season starts
April
- Spring feeding and pollenMarch and April are when the stores run out fastest and pollen is shortest
- Selling honey in the UK: labels, rules and recordsGet labels sorted before the jars go out - April for a May spring crop, September before the Christmas run
- Choosing and laying out an apiarySites are chosen and set up before the bees arrive, so late winter into spring
- Stopping them wanting to swarm in the first placeSpace, comb and queens sorted in March and April, before the urge peaks in May and June
- How to inspect a hiveRegular inspections run from spring to the end of the swarming season, and spring is when most beekeepers learn
- What to record at an inspectionEvery inspection and every treatment, all year, though most are written in spring
- How often to inspect a hiveThe rhythm changes all year, and it is worth knowing before the swarming season starts
May
- Registering on BeeBase, and what happens when foulbrood turns up near youThe inspection season, and when foulbrood is found and the alert emails go out
- Lighting and managing a smokerThe inspection season, and the fire risk peaks in the first real dry spell
- Queen cells: what you are looking atCells start appearing in April, and the main swarming period is May to July with the peak in late May and June
- The artificial swarm, step by stepQueen cells start appearing in late April, the swarming urge peaks in May and June, and it tails off through July
- Collecting a swarm, and what to do with itSwarms come off from May to the end of July, so the collecting kit lives in the car from April
- Reading a frameThe inspection season, March to October, and May is the month when there is most on a frame to read
- How to inspect a hiveRegular inspections run from spring to the end of the swarming season, and spring is when most beekeepers learn
- What to record at an inspectionEvery inspection and every treatment, all year, though most are written in spring
- Making up a nucleus: what goes in, and how many beesLate April to mid-June is the window for mating a new queen, May is when most colonies are big enough to split, and August is when you decide whether the nuc winters or gets united
- Collecting pollen, and selling itPollen comes in from spring into summer, which is when a trap has something to catch
June
- Varroa and foulbrood: what UK law asks of youInspection season, when you are most likely to see something
- Registering on BeeBase, and what happens when foulbrood turns up near youThe inspection season, and when foulbrood is found and the alert emails go out
- Water for bees, and keeping them out of the neighbour’s poolPut the supply out in spring, because the trouble starts in the first dry spell
- Lighting and managing a smokerThe inspection season, and the fire risk peaks in the first real dry spell
- Cut comb and comb honeyIt needs a strong flow, so the rape in early summer and the clover and lime after it
- No eggs, no queen seen: is the colony queenright?Queen problems show up once inspections start in April, and the swarming peak in late May and June is what leaves most colonies broodless and waiting
- The waggle dance, and what it tells you about your forageDances happen whenever bees are flying, and June is when they are most worth reading, because a gap in the forage shows up as longer flights
- Collecting pollen, and selling itPollen comes in from spring into summer, which is when a trap has something to catch
July
- Registering on BeeBase, and what happens when foulbrood turns up near youThe inspection season, and when foulbrood is found and the alert emails go out
- What to have in before autumnOrder in July and August, because the point of the list is having it before you need it
- Water for bees, and keeping them out of the neighbour’s poolPut the supply out in spring, because the trouble starts in the first dry spell
- Lighting and managing a smokerThe inspection season, and the fire risk peaks in the first real dry spell
- Cut comb and comb honeyIt needs a strong flow, so the rape in early summer and the clover and lime after it
- Bearding: what a curtain of bees on the front meansBearding belongs to warm weather and to the late summer treatment window
August
- The August varroa treatment, and why it is the one that countsMonitor in late July, treat early to mid-August while the winter bees are being raised, then check again in October
- Wasps at the hive: what actually worksPredation starts in July, peaks in August, falls away by late September
- The beekeeper’s veterinary medicines record, explainedWhen you are treating and writing it down - the August varroacide through the midwinter window
- Getting the bees out of the supersThe main crop comes off late July into August, before the varroa treatment goes on
- Putting the varroa treatment on: heat, single brood and double broodThe treatment goes on once the supers are off, in the warm, while the winter bees are being raised
- What to have in before autumnOrder in July and August, because the point of the list is having it before you need it
- Getting the honey out of the combThe crop comes off late July into August, and extracting follows the same day if you can
- Water for bees, and keeping them out of the neighbour’s poolPut the supply out in spring, because the trouble starts in the first dry spell
- Uniting two colonies over newspaperUseful any time the bees are flying, but August is when it matters, because that is when you decide which colonies are going into winter
- Wax moth damage, and which frames are worth savingMoths are on the wing from late spring, the damage shows up over the summer, and the comb goes into store in September and October
- Bearding: what a curtain of bees on the front meansBearding belongs to warm weather and to the late summer treatment window
September
- Autumn feeding: about 20 kg, and how to get thereSeptember is the month in much of the UK - and too early backfires
- Asian hornets: how to identify and report a sightingPeak season for sightings at the hive entrance
- Selling honey in the UK: labels, rules and recordsGet labels sorted before the jars go out - April for a May spring crop, September before the Christmas run
- Cleaning, freezing and storing supers so wax moth cannot get inComb goes into store once the crop is off, and that is when wax moth gets into it
- Making sugar syrup for bees: the mixesThin syrup in spring, thick syrup in autumn, and September is the month that matters most
- Setting up to feed: the empty super, the crown board and the feederThe feeders go on once the supers are off, and come off before it turns cold
- September in the apiaryThe month the winter is decided, from the last crop to the last feed
- Honey with fruit, and honey fermentsAutumn fruit and the new season’s honey come together, and Christmas is when these sell
- Straps, weights and a stand that does not moveFasten everything in September before the first gales, then check after each warning through to spring
- Flood risk, and getting the apiary ready for waterCheck the risk and raise the stands in early autumn, before the wet months when moving hives is hardest
- Cutting back around the apiary: what you may cut, and whenThe hedgerow closed period on agricultural land in England runs 1 March to 31 August, so the window opens in September
- Single brood, double brood, and the super you left onThe box arrangement has to be settled while the bees can still move stores and take syrup down, which in most of the UK means September
- Cleaning and storing the extractor, the tanks and the uncapping kitThe kit comes in once the last crop is extracted, and the National Bee Unit asks for it to be cleaned then rather than in the spring
- Rendering and cleaning beeswaxThe cappings come in with the last extraction, and old brood comb comes out through the autumn and the spring
October
- Planting for bees in autumnBulbs go in through the autumn, and bare-root trees and shrubs while dormant
- The last proper look before winterThe last warm enough day, usually October, once the feed is in and the treatment is out
- October in the apiaryThe month the feeding stops and the hive is closed up for winter
- Making soft set honeyMade after the crop is in, and in time for the run up to Christmas
- Honey with fruit, and honey fermentsAutumn fruit and the new season’s honey come together, and Christmas is when these sell
- Moving a hive: three feet, three miles, and everything in betweenOctober is the cheapest month to move a colony, because the fewest bees are flying and there is no crop to lose
- Straps, weights and a stand that does not moveFasten everything in September before the first gales, then check after each warning through to spring
- Flood risk, and getting the apiary ready for waterCheck the risk and raise the stands in early autumn, before the wet months when moving hives is hardest
- Cutting back around the apiary: what you may cut, and whenThe hedgerow closed period on agricultural land in England runs 1 March to 31 August, so the window opens in September
- Rendering and cleaning beeswaxThe cappings come in with the last extraction, and old brood comb comes out through the autumn and the spring
- Storing honey in bulk, and warming it back to jarThe crop goes into buckets after extraction, and is warmed and jarred through the winter as orders come in
- Mouse guards, woodpeckers and insulation over winterThe kit goes on in October and comes off in March, so September is the last month to get ready
- Moulding beeswax: blocks and candlesThe autumn’s rendered wax is moulded through the winter, when the hives need least
Novemberthis month
- Planting for bees in autumnBulbs go in through the autumn, and bare-root trees and shrubs while dormant
- November in the apiaryThe first winter month, when checking without disturbing the cluster is the job
- Planning next season from your recordsThe winter months, between closing the hives up and the first spring check
- Making soft set honeyMade after the crop is in, and in time for the run up to Christmas
- Hive tools, and keeping them cleanThe between-colony discipline is all year; the big clean and scorch is a winter job
- Fondant: when and how to feed itFrom the end of October, when syrup stops working, through to spring
- Dead bees at the entranceWinter, when the old bees die off and the entrance is the only thing you see
- Storing honey in bulk, and warming it back to jarThe crop goes into buckets after extraction, and is warmed and jarred through the winter as orders come in
- Moulding beeswax: blocks and candlesThe autumn’s rendered wax is moulded through the winter, when the hives need least
- Beeswax balms, polish and food wrapsWax rendered in the autumn turns into presents and stall stock before Christmas
December
- Oxalic acid: trickling, vaporising and the broodless windowTreat in the broodless window, which in most of the UK is late December into January
- December in the apiaryMidwinter, when the checks are from outside and the work moves indoors
- Planning next season from your recordsThe winter months, between closing the hives up and the first spring check
- Hive tools, and keeping them cleanThe between-colony discipline is all year; the big clean and scorch is a winter job
- Fondant: when and how to feed itFrom the end of October, when syrup stops working, through to spring
- Dead bees at the entranceWinter, when the old bees die off and the entrance is the only thing you see
- Beeswax balms, polish and food wrapsWax rendered in the autumn turns into presents and stall stock before Christmas
Looking for a topic rather than a month? The library is arranged by hive.