November Beekeeping Tips

1. As November progresses, you should begin to see less and less brood in your hive. Many hives are completely broodless by late November. However, on warm years, with strong hives, you can still see multiple frames of brood. As the temperatures cool, bees will begin drinking less and less syrup. Hopefully your hive already has all the 30-40 stored pounds of honey/syrup it needs to survive the winter. If not, continue feeding.

2. If your hive still has more than 2 mites per 100 bees, methods such as Oxalic Acid can be effective when used during a broodless, or nearly broodless period.

3. Combine any hives that are less than 5 frames of bees. Read last month's article "October Beekeeping Tips" for a detailed explanation on how to merge hives with the newspaper method.

4. If you have a screened bottom board, covering it is not necessary. However, prevent wind from blowing underneath the hive by blocking off each side of the bottom board.

5. Fortunately, things like insulating hives, providing an upper entrance to prevent condensation, candy boards, etc. are not necessary in Texas. Our winters are mild enough that none of those thing are needed.