August

Remove and extract all the ripe honey in the supers.(see last months information.)

Check that the bees have enough stores in the brood nest when you do this. Feed fondant if they are low, or sort through super frames and lease partially capped frames for them.

Make the hives beetight and reduce the entrance to prevent robbing and wasp attacks. Your traps will help reduce wasp numbers and you can either buy or make a wasp deterrent entrance remembering to put it on late evening.

This is a good time of year to take a close look at disease and start preparing for winter. The colony size will have peaked and the queen will be reducing her laying rate. Forage will be reducing except for balsam and heather and ivy.

We want our bees to be healthy going into winter and have about 40lb honey. When you have finished extracting and you think your nectar flow is low, now is the time to feed 2:1 sugar syrup.

AH workers are seeking protein, so you could add a monitoring trap with a bit of cat food in it.