Autumn Management

Autumn management is the combined work of varroa control, queen checks, winter feeding, uniting weak colonies and physically preparing the hive for winter. Most of these tasks fit into a short window of time; a step that is done too late cannot be made up for in winter.

What happens in the colony in autumn?

As the nectar flow declines, the queen's laying slows down and the colony shrinks. Drones are driven out of the hive. The winter bees reared in this period, unlike summer bees, develop so that they can live for months; the colony's survival to spring depends on them.

All of the beekeeper's decisions in autumn serve a single goal: for the colony to enter winter healthy, populous enough, with a young queen and with correctly placed stores.

The right order for autumn tasks

1. Varroa first: Immediately after the last harvest, the mite level is measured and treatment is carried out if necessary. The mite load must be low while winter bees are being reared; this job is not postponed until feeding is finished.
2. Assessing queen status and strength: Colonies with problem queens or that are very weak are identified, and a decision is made to requeen or unite them.
3. Winter feeding: Any shortfall in stores is made up on mild days when the bees can still process and cap the syrup.
4. Finally, reducing space and protecting the hive: The space is reduced, a mouse guard is fitted and the hive is made ready for winter.

The logic of the order is simple: a late varroa treatment does not save the winter bees, and syrup given late cannot be processed. Because some varroa treatments (e.g. those containing thymol) can reduce the bees' uptake of syrup, the treatment and feeding schedule needs to be planned according to the product label.

How do you control varroa in autumn?

• Measure: The mite level is determined with an alcohol wash, icing sugar or a sticky board.
• Treat: With authorised products, following the label instructions and after the supers have been removed. Rotating between organic acids, thymol and synthetic active substance groups reduces the risk of resistance.
• Check: Measure again after treatment.
• Broodless period: When the colony becomes broodless in early winter, all the mites are on the adult bees; this period is the most effective window for some treatments.

Checking the queen before winter

A colony that goes into winter queenless or with an old, failing queen will very probably be lost. A last check is made in the first weeks of autumn:

• Are there eggs and an even brood pattern?
• Is there drone brood with domed cappings in worker cells? (The queen may have run out of sperm, or there may be laying workers in the hive.)
• Is the brood nest compact and even for the time of year?

If there is a problem, the colony is requeened at the start of autumn by giving it a mated queen. Because drones are scarce in this period, requeening with a queen cell or a virgin queen may fail. If it is too late for that, the colony is united with a sound colony.

Winter stores and autumn feeding

• Amount: Depends on the region and the length of the winter; roughly between 10 and 25 kg. The most reliable guide is your record of consumption by colonies wintering in your own apiary. A full, capped Langstroth brood frame holds about 2–2.5 kg of honey.
• Heavy syrup: In autumn, heavy syrup (about 2 parts sugar to 1 part water) is usually given; the bees have less water to evaporate and it is stored more quickly.
• Give it on time: Syrup should be given while daytime temperatures are still mild. Syrup given in the cold cannot be processed or capped, stays moist and can ferment.
• Give it in the evening and inside the hive: Feeding syrup with an in-hive feeder in the evening prevents robbing. Clean up spilled syrup immediately.
• Beware of honeydew honey: In regions with long, harsh winters, a lot of honeydew honey (e.g. pine honey) left in the brood box can increase the risk of dysentery; consider replacing some of it with blossom honey or syrup.
• Position of the stores: The winter cluster moves upwards; honey must be above and beside the cluster.

Weak colonies: strengthen or unite?

Trying to strengthen a weak colony in autumn often weakens the strong colonies too. The question to ask before winter is: Does this colony have enough bees to keep its own cluster warm?

• If the bees barely cover a few frames and the queen is good, the colony is united with a sound colony using the newspaper method.
• Before uniting, decide which queen will stay and remove the other.
• A diseased colony is never united: It would carry the disease into the sound colony.

Robbing and hornet pressure in autumn

When nectar sources dry up, the bees turn their attention to the honey in other hives. Opening hives frequently for autumn feeding and varroa treatment increases this risk. At the same time, wasp and hornet populations reach their peak.

• Inspect and feed quickly; do not leave syrup or scraps of comb exposed.
• Reduce the entrance of weak colonies so that only one bee can pass at a time.
• If necessary, close up a colony that is being robbed for a few days and move it to another apiary.
• If hornet pressure is high, set traps around the apiary and reduce the entrances; hornets hunting in front of the hive noticeably weaken the colony in autumn.

Physically preparing the hive for winter

• Reduce the space: Empty frames and surplus boxes are removed; the colony should be left in a space it can keep warm and defend.
• Fit a mouse guard: Once the cluster has formed, nobody guards the entrance.
• Reduce the entrance but do not close it; it must stay open for ventilation and cleansing flights.
• Check the roof: A leaking roof and a wet cluster are more deadly than cold.
• Tilt the hive slightly forward: So that condensed water runs out through the entrance.
• Secure the hive: With straps and weights against storms, snow and animals.

How should removed combs be stored?

Supers and surplus combs taken from the hive in autumn are put into storage. Dark, old brood combs are taken out of circulation and melted down for beeswax. The greatest enemy of stored combs is the wax moth (Galleria mellonella); combs that have held brood and pollen in particular can be destroyed in a short time.

• Cold storage: Freezing temperatures stop wax moth development; in cold regions combs are kept in a cool, dry store over winter.
• Airy, light storage: Wax moth likes dark, enclosed spaces; stacking combs spaced out so that air can circulate reduces the risk.
• Freezing: Keeping combs in a freezer for a while before storing them kills any eggs and larvae present.
• Culling: Combs from hives suspected of disease are not stored and not used in other hives.