August in the Sweet Drop Apiary

August is a quieter month for the bees as in many areas the summer flowers are coming to an end and the nectar flow is finishing – unless you have taking your bees to the heather.

There is still forage about: sunshine will encourage willowherb, blackberry, red clover, borage, golden rod and garden flowers and the bees will work them enthusiastically while they last. Here in was a disappointment, as the peak of flowering coincided with a cold, wet and windy spell of weather that prevented a good nectar flow and kept the bees close to home. There is ivy still to come to provide a late season boost to stores but we should be mindful of our bees’ needs as we take our final honey harvest: that golden bounty has not been gathered for our benefit alone. As the forage decreases, so will the laying rate of the queen and the brood area will decrease and fill up with winter stores.

Drones are no longer needed and the workers throw them unceremoniously out of the entrance to starve: the focus now is on the winter bees. These bees are different for they stay within the hive all winter and do not pass beyond the nurse bee stage, meaning that their hypopharyngeal glands remain full of brood food ready for the spring rush of brood. The survival of the hive during that critical time in early spring is entirely dependent on these winter bees: for them to survive they must be well fed, healthy and free from varroa mites and the viruses they bring. This means that, for the beekeeper, there’s plenty to do in August. This is the month to take off your last honey crop, treat for varroa and start autumn feeding.

It’s a time to take steps to prevent robbing by other colonies and wasps – reducing entrances, setting up wasp traps. It’s also a time for preparing equipment and comb for storage, for cleaning and repairing everything that needs it and for making a list of what you need to buy in the late season sales.