September is considered an important period of the year in the life of every beekeeper. This month marks the last flight of bees. This occurs around the twenties. At this point, it is important for the beekeeper to complete all the necessary activities and allow the bees to prepare for the cold season in September. During this period, it is worth inspecting the families, feeding them and completing the formation of nests.
What to do with bees in September
Autumn bee care is of great importance. With the arrival of September, beekeepers need to carry out a number of activities that will help them adapt to wintering.
Inspection of bee colonies
Autumn work in the apiary should include inspection of bee colonies. This procedure is recommended to be carried out on a warm September evening. In the daytime, you should use a special tent for this purpose. Autumn inspection in beekeeping is always carried out in September and is considered the last before wintering.
This procedure helps to detect all problems in bee colonies and gives a chance to eliminate them. Once the hives are already sealed for the winter, nothing can be changed.
During inspection, it is necessary to reduce the number of frames until each of the remaining ones is completely filled. Empty frames must be removed. The data obtained as a result of the inspection must be recorded. These include the following:
- information about the uterus;
- number of bees and streets;
- volume of feed;
- number of frames.
September feeding and growth of bees
In order for the winter maintenance of bees to be successful, it is important to assess their number and the provision of high-quality food. In early September, sugar should not be used to feed bees, since they will not have time to process it and seal it in the honeycomb. This can cause the feed to sour. Consumption of such a product will lead to the development of diseases and death of bees.
Therefore, it is recommended to use ready-made honey, sealed in frames, as a top dressing. The last time it should be applied is September 10-20.
The key task of a beekeeper in the autumn is to ensure strong colonies, in which there are many young individuals. They will easily survive the winter and will develop well in the spring.To increase the queen's egg laying in early autumn, the brood must be well fed. In this case, you need to do the following:
- insulate hives in cold weather;
- free the honeycombs for laying eggs;
- provide insects with sufficient food;
- bring out bees for autumn bribes.
When the bees are growing sufficiently, you need to do the following:
- remove insulation;
- increase ventilation;
- Do not give incentive feeding.
Formation and assembly of the nest
To create comfortable conditions for the bees and provide them with food, you can use the following options for forming a nest:
- Double-sided - suitable for hives with strong colonies on 9-12 streets. In this case, in the central part it is necessary to place frames with honey and beebread, 2-4 pieces each. They should include 2 kilograms of honey. Honey frames must be installed on both sides. They should contain up to 4 kilograms of honey. In total, there should be 25-30 kilograms of honey in the hive.
- One-sided or corner - used for families with medium strength, who created 7-9 streets before wintering. In this case, on one side you need to install a full-fledged honey frame. It is recommended to place the remaining frames in descending order. The last one should contain 2-2.5 kilograms of honey. The rest are in stock.
- Beard - this method is suitable for weak families. In this case, it is worth placing full-copper frames in the central part, and then arranging them in descending order. Feed reserves should be 10-15 kilograms.In order for the bees to move correctly for food, they need to install wooden blocks perpendicularly, which will serve as guides.
Recommendations and tips
After assembly, it is recommended to insulate the nest with pillows and install entrance barriers. This should be done to protect against mice or other rodents getting in there.
At this point, at the end of September, work on forming the hive for the winter is completed. It is not recommended to inspect them until spring. It is only permissible to listen to the hives with a rubber tube. It needs to be introduced into the upper entrance. It is also allowed to use a special acoustic device - an apiscope. It is important that the hum is calm and even. If the bees are alarmed by something, the sounds intensify.
With the arrival of constant cold weather, the hives need to be moved to the winter hut. Beekeepers need to go there to check the temperature and humidity. To do this, it is worth placing thermometers and psychrometers in different places.
Caring for bees in September has many features. In order for insects to survive the winter well, it is important to carefully examine the colonies and provide them with comfortable conditions. Providing individuals with food is of great importance.
