Healthy Bee Procedures
January
 Reduce the hive entrance and check for blockage from buildup of dead bees or snow. Be sure roof is secure.
Emergency feeding if necessary. Record your observations for each hive rather than relying on memory. Take the
time off to read a good book and attend local bee club meetings. Place your packaged bees order for this year.
February
 Medicate at least 60 days prior to adding supers. As the cluster grows, shift frames with eggs to the center and
frames of sealed brood to the outer position. Add brood chambers with drawn comb to the strongest hives.
Reverse double brood chambers to move the empty frames to the top and center. This will stimulate growth of the
hive.
March
 Due to massive increase in bee population and food consumption, consider feeding. Continue the frame
rotations and begin to alternate the frames according to brood age.
April
 Remove the entrance reducers. In order to prevent swarming: add supers, spread out the frames with brood, cut
queen cells, limit barriers to bee movement upward into the supers. Consider placing swarm traps in the Apiary to
catch any swarms. Replace any queens due to old age, temperament, or bad brood pattern.
May
 Add a queen excluder, and place honey supers. Give them plenty of room to bring in the pollen and nectar, but
toward the end of the nectar flow you will want to crowd the bees to finish out partially filled supers. Check for hive
beetles and install traps if necessary
June
 Begin to take off frames of capped honey and replace with empty frames/foundation. Place bee escapes prior to
removing entire supers.
July
 The nectar flow will continue this month and you may even find your bees festooning (a group of bees hanging
onto each other in a cluster) along the side of a hive. Some say they are cooling themselves. Add more supers as
needed.
August
 The hive begins to slow down as the nectar flow decreases.
September
 The hive population drops and the drones begin to die off. Harvest the remainer of your honey crop, but remember
to leave the hive with at least 60 lbs. for use over the winter. Near the end of the month, feed and medicate. Install
Apistan strips or CheckMite (for 42 days)
October
 The bees are preparing for winter. Add any necessary insulation or windbreaks and remove the Apistan or
CheckMite strips. Store your equipment.
November
 Not much to do this month. The bees are clustering together on colder days. A good time for you to take a vacation
as well. Also a good time to think of all the terrific honey-related gifts you could prepare for Christmas gifs: Bottle
some of your honey in decrative containers and tie with a festive ribbon, make candles with your beeswax
December
 There is not much to do this month for the bees. Read a good book and. Consider ordering some goodies to
include with those Christmas gifts to friends and family. Enjoy the holidays!
Calendar compliments of Rossman Apiaries
January
  • Feed colonies if light (colonies can starve!)
  • Nosema can be a significant colony problem this time of
    year.  You can treat colonies for Nosema disease using
    Fumigillin.  Colonies may need as much as 4 gallons of
    medicated syrup to control Nosema cerana.
  • Repair /paint old equipment
 Sand Pine, Maple, Willow
Febraury
  • Feed colonies if light (colonies can starve !)
  • Can treat colonies for Nosema disease as needed using
    Fumigillin
 Plum, Cherry, Viburnum, Sweet Clover,
Blueberry, Haw, Fetterbush, Oak
March
  • Attend UF Bee College In Apopka!!!
  • Colony poplutations begin to grow! Add supers and/or
    control swarming as necessary.
  • Can treat with Terramycin or Tylan for AFB
  • Make nucs/splits
 Orange, Spanish Needle
April
  • Disease and queen problems should be remedied
  • Make Splitst/nucs - new queens available
  • Control Swarming
  • Add supers, the primary nectar flow begins this month
 Sweet clover, Wild Blueberry, Haw,
Fetterbush, Orange , Spanish needle,
Gallberry, Dog hobble, Palmetto,
Mexican clover, Blackberry, Buttermint.
May
  • continue to inspect for colony maladies, but don't treat for
    diseases while producing honey
  • Continue swarm control
  • Super as necessary
 Palm, Gopher Apple, Joint Weed,
Sandhill prairie clover, Spiderwort/day
flower, Partridge Pea
June
  • remove and process honey - main flow stops
  • Varroa populations begin to grow - monitor colonies
    closely.  The economic threshold is 60+ mites/day on sticky
    screen or 17+ mites in a ether roll. Treat if you exceed
    these numbers.
 Mangrove, red bay
July
  • remove and process honey - main flow stops
  • Varroa populations begin to grow - monitor colonies
    closely.  The economic threshold is 60+ mites/day on sticky
    screen or 17+ mites in a ether roll for colony of average
    strenth.  Treat if you exceed thes numbers. Options include;
    Apiguard, ApilifeVAR, Mite Away II
 Spanish Needle, Palmetto, Mexican
Clover, Buttermint, Palm, Gopher
Apple, Join Weed, Redbay, Sandhill
Prairie clover, Partridge Pea, Mangrove,
Primrose Willow, Spiderwort/Dayflower
August
  • Monitor colonies for varroa mites ( see July)
  • Treat with Terramycin dust for AFB/EFB
  • Feed colonies if light
  • Monitor for and control small hive beetles
  • It's hot! Ensure adequate colony ventilation
 Spotted Mint, Goldenrod, Vine Aster,
Sumac
September
  • Monitor colonies for Varroa mites
  • Consider treating colonies for Nosema disease using
    Fumidil-B.  Colonies may need as much as 4 gallons of
    medicated syrup to control Nosema Cerana
  • Continue to feed colonies if light
  • Varroa populations begin to grow - monitor colonies
    closely.  The economic threshold is 60+ mites/day on sticky
    screen or 17+ mites in a ether roll. Treat if you exceed
    these numbers.
 Smart Weed, Bush Aster
October -
December
  • Varroa populations peaked in Aug/Sept. The economic
    threshold is 60+ mites/day on a sticky screen or 17+ mites
    in an ether roll for a colony of average strength. Treat if you
    exceed these numbers.  Options include Apiguard,
    ApilifeVAR, Mites AwayII
  • Can treat colonies for Nosema disease using Fumigillin.
    Colonies may need as much as 4 gallons of medicated
    syrup to control Nosema cerana
  • Monitor for and control small hive beetles (options include
    Checkmit+, GardStar, Hood traps and West Beetle traps)
  • Feed colonies if light (colonies can starve !)
  • Can treat for tracheal mites (mix vegetable oil and
    powdered sugar until doughy - not sticky to touch: place a
    pancake sized patty on top bars of brood chamber)
 October: Spanish Needle, Mexican
Clover, Primrose Willow, spotted Mint,
Golden Rod, Vine Aster, Bush Aster ,
Smart Weed, Melaleuca,

November:  nothing new blooms

December Maple, Willow

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Month
 Management
 Blooming Plants
For Beekeepers living on the Florida and Georgia border