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October Monthly Tips

  1. October provides one of the last months for major bee management. Final
    feeding should take place, and syrup consumption should begin to decline as
    your queen begins shutting down for the season. In the southern regions, feed to
    maintain a 30-pound surplus of stored syrup through October.
  2. Continue feeding pollen substitute at a rate of two pounds per hive. A strong hive
    should be able to eat about one pound every 10 days. If a hive is weaker, give
    them a half pound per feeding.
  3. Any hive that has fewer than six frames covered front and back with bees should
    be combined with another hive. The newspaper method to join hives as
    discussed in the January tips can be utilized.
  4. Finish any final mite treatments, remove any queen excluders, and if you use
    them, place entrance reducers in hives at the very end of October.
  5. If your hive has been properly cared for and everything has gone well, you
    should have 8–16 frames of bees going into winter. A well-fed hive, with virtually
    no mites, should easily survive the winter.