North Texas honey producers learn tips for fall management

Country World Archives 2001-2008

By LORI COPE | East Texas Edition

September is National Honey Month

Scores Tallied -- The judges for the Collin Co. Beekeepers Association's recent Honey Contest take a moment as scores are tallied. Judges included (seated, from background) Charlotte Davis, Sarah Paulsen (Collin Co. Bee Queen), and David Earl. Shirley Acevedo (foreground) looks over the score sheets as Association President John Talbert (second from left) talks to the judges.

-Staff photo by Cope

September 6, 2001 -- Just as cattlemen know breeding seasons, and forage growers know about putting in winter pasture, honey producers know it's time to get their bees ready for winter.

"Fall Management" was one topic at the recent Collin County Beekeepers Association meeting. Ted Vance, an experienced beekeeper who serves as the association's vice president, presented the members with seasonal advice.

Since the hive is the bees' source of protection against winter's elements, getting them ready now, in the fall, will help them survive in the coldest time of the year.

"What kills bees in the cold is moisture," Vance said. "You need to make sure they stay dry, they are protected from the north wind, and they have plenty of honey. ... I've seen bees starve because the honey was in the top of the box and the bees were in the bottom. It was too cold for them to be moving much."

Also when readying hive boxes for winter, Vance advised bee owners to "reverse the bottom boards or use wire mesh" to deter mice from taking up residence in the hive.

"This time of year is also a good time to repaint," he said. "I think it's smarter to do it now than after winter. Because when do you get the most moisture? In the winter. And the moisture will make it (wooden boxes) rot. ... And yes, you can paint them with the bees in them."

Another trick to help with moisture build-up in the hive is to drill a three-quarter-inch hole in the top hive box, or "cock the lid about a quarter-inch," added Collin County beekeeper John Talbert.

Because the bees cluster together when it's cold, their body heat can create a moisture build-up in the top of the hive, or box.

Fall is also a good time to "re-queen" the hive, or "make splits," according to Vance. Strong colonies can be split with a new queen placed with the new, queenless group.

With winter approaching, now is also a good time to remove the "queen excluders," a wire mesh in the brood box that limits the queen bee's movement. But in colder months, the queen will need to move with the cluster to the honey, which is normally in the top of the box.

The honey bees produce in the fall is "not a table grade, but is what

commercial beekeepers call baker's grade," he continued. Commercial keepers can find a market for this type honey, but hobbyists, such as many of Collin County Beekeepers Association members, can use this honey to provide adequate winter food supplies. If more food for the bees is needed during the winter, sugar water or corn syrup can be used.

Treatment for mites can also be done in the fall. "In my opinion, now is the time to treat for mites," Vance said. When temperatures do not get above 50 degrees, as is the case often in the winter, the "bees are not moving much so they do not have much contact with the (treatment) strips."

Vance advised honey producers to consider switching miticide strips.

"I think we are getting some resistance to Apistan, so anyone using that one should consider using CheckMite strips," he said.

Vance, who had 200 colonies this year and expects to have 500 next year, will detail "Winter Management" of bees at the November meeting of the Collin County Beekeepers Association. For information about the association, call 972-843-8084.