As summer transitions to autumn, beekeepers face one of the most critical periods in their annual management cycle.
Fall beekeeping tasks aren’t optional – they determine whether your colonies will survive the winter and emerge strong in spring.
These essential chores must be completed before cold weather arrives and bee activity drastically decreases.[1][2]
Critical Fall Beekeeping Tasks
1. Assess Colony Strength and Queen Status
What to Do: Conduct thorough inspections to evaluate colony population, queen presence, and overall health. Look for a healthy laying queen by examining brood patterns and the presence of eggs.[3][1]
Why It’s Essential: Colonies entering winter without a healthy, laying queen will not survive. By fall, queens can no longer mate successfully due to the absence of drones, making this your last opportunity to address queen issues.
Weak colonies cannot generate enough heat to maintain the winter cluster and are more vulnerable to disease and pests.[4][1][3]
Action Steps: If you discover queenless or weak colonies, combine them with stronger colonies or provide new queens if still possible. Small colonies should be consolidated into appropriately sized hive boxes to reduce the space bees need to heat.[2][5][3]
2. Monitor and Treat Varroa Mites
What to Do: Conduct final mite counts using alcohol wash or sugar shake methods, and treat immediately if mite levels exceed 1-2% in fall.[6][7][3]
Why It’s Critical: Fall represents your most important opportunity for varroa treatment. Mite populations peak while bee populations are declining, creating an unfavorable ratio that can devastate colonies.
The winter bees being raised now must be healthy to survive months of confinement. High mite loads cause shorter lifespans and weaker immune systems, significantly increasing winter mortality.[8][7][9][10][3]
Timing Matters: This is often your last chance to treat before cold weather prevents effective application of many treatments. Most treatments require specific temperature ranges, making early fall treatment crucial.[11][6]
3. Ensure Adequate Food Stores
What to Do: Assess honey stores and provide supplemental feeding if colonies have insufficient reserves. Colonies need 60-90 pounds of honey for northern climates, 30-50 pounds for central regions.[12][13][14][1][2][6]
Why It’s Essential: Unlike summer feeding for growth, fall feeding is about survival. Colonies rely entirely on stored honey once cold weather prevents foraging. Starvation is one of the leading causes of winter colony loss.
Even strong colonies with large populations will perish if food runs out during winter.[13][6][4][8]
Feeding Protocol: Use 2:1 sugar syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water) in fall, which requires less energy for bees to process and reduces moisture in the hive. Stop liquid feeding when temperatures consistently drop below 50°F, then switch to solid feeds like fondant.[15][12][6][8]
4. Harvest Final Honey Crop
What to Do: Complete honey harvesting by early to mid-September, leaving adequate stores for winter. Remove empty supers to reduce hive volume.[16][12][11]
Why It’s Necessary: Removing excess supers forces bees to concentrate honey stores in the brood area where they’ll cluster during winter. Empty boxes require extra energy to heat, which weakens colonies.
Additionally, unused comb becomes vulnerable to wax moths and hive beetles.[5][2]
Important: Never harvest honey from the bottom two brood boxes – this is the bees’ winter food supply.[11]
5. Reduce Hive Entrances and Improve Defense
What to Do: Install entrance reducers or mouse guards to narrow hive openings. Remove weedy vegetation around hive bases.[12][2][5]
Why It’s Important: As nectar sources dwindle, robbing behavior increases dramatically. Smaller entrances make it easier for guard bees to defend their colony against robber bees, wasps, and other predators.
This also helps bees maintain hive temperature more efficiently. Mice can enter hives seeking warm winter shelter and destroy comb.[17][2][5][12]
6. Optimize Hive Configuration for Winter
What to Do: Reduce hive bodies to appropriate size for colony population. Remove empty frames and supers. Ensure proper ventilation while maintaining insulation.[18][16][12][11]
Why It’s Critical: Proper hive configuration conserves the colony’s energy during winter. Bees must maintain a cluster temperature around 95°F in the brood area.
Excess space forces them to work harder to maintain temperature, weakening the colony. However, inadequate ventilation causes condensation buildup, which can be more deadly than cold temperatures.[19][2][18][3]
7. Equipment Maintenance and Storage
What to Do: Clean and properly store removed supers and equipment. Ensure outer covers are secure and weatherproof.[18][12]
Why It’s Important: Proper equipment storage prevents pest infestations and damage during winter. Secure hive covers prevent wind damage and water infiltration. Clean equipment is ready for next season’s use.[12][18]
Timing Is Everything
These fall tasks must be completed while bees can still fly and process syrup – typically before consistent temperatures drop below 50°F. In most northern climates, this means August through mid-October.
Waiting too long means lost opportunities that cannot be recovered until spring.[20][7][6][15]
The work you do in fall directly impacts spring success. Colonies that enter winter healthy, well-fed, and properly configured will emerge stronger and more productive.
Neglecting fall preparation often results in dead colonies by spring, regardless of how well they performed during the active season.[4][8]
Summary
Fall beekeeping isn’t just about helping bees survive winter – it’s about setting them up to thrive when the next season begins.
Every task serves a specific purpose in maintaining colony health during the most challenging period of the bee’s annual cycle.
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- https://carolinahoneybees.com/beekeeping-in-fall/
- https://ashevillebeecharmer.com/honey-education/fall-winter-beekeeping-preparing-hives/
- https://nodglobal.com/seasonal-beekeeping-checklists-fall/
- https://extension.psu.edu/honey-bee-management-throughout-the-seasons/
- https://www.indianahoney.org/uncategorized/beekeeping-tips-for-september/
- https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/know-how-know-more/2021-11-11-prepare-your-bees-winter
- https://cals.cornell.edu/pollinator-network/beekeeping/overwintering
- https://usa.hivealivebees.com/blogs/news/fall-feeding-for-bees-preparing-colonies-for-winter-survival
- https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/HBHC-Guide_Varroa-Mgmt_8thEd-082422.pdf
- https://www.blog-veto-pharma.com/en/winter-hive-management-ensuring-healthy-bees-through-the-cold-season/
- https://grow.ifa.coop/beekeeping/monthly-beekeeping-guide
- https://sunvara.com/blog/fall-checklist-for-beekeepers/
- https://www.perfectbee.com/a-healthy-beehive/inspecting-your-hive/feeding-honeybees-in-the-fall
- https://miller-mfg.com/blogs/blog/when-to-harvest-honey
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Beekeeping/comments/9n5rz3/wintering_bees_so_many_ways_to_do_it/
- https://www.beepods.com/honeydo/honey-do-beekeeping-checklist-september/
- https://www.geesbees.ca/post/bees-in-the-fall
- https://www.honeybeesuite.com/how-to-prepare-your-hives-for-winter/
- https://idtools.org/thebeemd/index.cfm?pageID=3094
- https://hbrc.ca/beekeepers-checklist/
- https://backyardbeekeeping.iamcountryside.com/health-pests/preparing-honeybees-for-winter/
- https://ecrotek.com.au/blogs/articles/beekeeping-checklist-by-the-seasons
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Beekeeping/comments/1jvsi3f/seeking_tips_for_creating_a_beekeeping_seasonal/
- https://ozarmour.co/en-us/blogs/news/late-summer-beekeeping-made-easy-pro-tips-for-healthy-hives
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Beekeeping/comments/6sy3gk/captured_a_late_summer_swarm_what_to_do_now/
- https://www.perfectbee.com/beekeeping-articles/outside-the-swarm/bees-in-the-late-summer
- https://talkingwithbees.com/beekeeping-how-to-guides/beekeeping-calendar
