December in the Central Oregon Apiary
Wow, we’re in the last month of 2024 already. I hope it’s been a great year for you. The early snow bodes well, I hope, for the
outdoor enthusiasts as well as all of us who use water.
Remember your bees are hunkered down, and assuming they went
into the winter (paraphrasing what Muffy Roy once said) healthy, queen-right,
good population and well provisioned, there isn’t a lot for you to think about
or do with them.
Possible tasks to think about for your colony.
Since your bees are pretty much broodless, it’s an excellent
time for Oxalic Acid treatments. Some
beekeepers feel that their bees start raising brood after the Winter Solstice
so prefer to do it in December, others like January or early February to get
the levels as low as possible prior to March.
Others will do both December and January. Either the dribble method or vaporization one
is appropriate. One technique is to use
the dribble method if the cluster is tight (cold weather) and the vaporization
method if it’s looser (warmer weather). Either way, act in an expeditious manner so as not to disrupt the cluster any
more than necessary.
Once a month it’s a
good idea to peek at each hive to ensure the lid is on and the hive hasn’t
tipped over or been otherwise disturbed.
As pointed out last month, if any of your colonies went into the winter
lighter than you’d like, keep up the emergency feeding (sugar cakes of some
sort, some sort of fondant or by transplanting honey frames.
This month, I like to concentrate on family and friends and
enjoying the holiday time……with maybe some arts and crafts mixed in. Isn’t this what makes life really fulfilling.
Happy Holidays!
Allen Engle
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