This Month in the Apiary: August
- Remove supers and extract – leave a super with space if you will have Himalayan Balsam coming in
- Put a super under the clearer board to give space for the bees to go into
- Mark the supers so you can put them back on the same hive above the crown board for the same hive for the bees to clean up
- Remove the supers after a few days and before the bees start storing in them again
- Store supers in a vermin free place
- Put a queen excluder or board top and bottom to prevent mice getting in
- Leave outside somewhere cold to kill wax moth or put frames through the freezer and allow to dry before storing or use acetic acid
- Put varroa boards in to check mite drop then treat with an authorised treatment if necessary. Follow instructions and try to vary treatment from year to year. Remember you are required to keep a note of treatments with dates/ batch number etc
- Bees produced now are the winter bees. It is important they are well nourished to build up their fat bodies
- Do not remove honey from the brood box If reducing the number of colonies by uniting or if colonies are small check they are disease free
- Test for Nosema if possible
- Feed bees if they do not have enough stores in the brood box after honey has been extracted from the supers and if there is not enough nectar coming in
- Reduce entrances against wasps and put out traps away from the hives
- Watch for Asian hornets hawking around hives and expanding nests
- Clean equipment thoroughly before storage, scorch boxes , excluders and crown boards