October in North Carolina can be tricky. Some years it is still hot through most of the month, and other years it might be cold and rainy. This is also the month where hurricanes and tropical storms may be problematic, so it is important to be prepared for just about any type of weather.

Honey bee on goldenrod. Photo by Don Hopkins

While the weather remains favorable, the bees will continue to be busy. They will continue to fly and collect stores for the winter. There may not be much available to them other than some goldenrod, ragweed, and asters here and there. This would be a good time to evaluate your colonies and decide which ones will need to be supplementally fed to ensure they have the honey stores to make it through the winter dearth. The standard recommendation is to mix sugar and water at a 2:1 ratio, which is thicker than the 1:1 ratio that is fed to colonies for package installation and other purposes. This time of year, the goal is for the bees to store it in the comb for the winter, not to build wax or boost brood production. If you have honey frames stored in the freezer because you didn’t know what to do with them earlier in the summer, now would be a good time to use them. You can pull some empty frames from colonies that need food and replace them with these nice food frames. This will give weaker colonies some insurance going into winter.

Queens should still be laying, although not as much as earlier in the summer since they are naturally brooding down. Inspect each colony to verify the presence of a queen, if she is producing a healthy brood pattern, and the population of the colony is strong. A weak colony will struggle to make it through the winter and would be better off combined with a stronger colony. If you haven’t already, this is a good time to install entrance reducers or mouse guards, which will reduce the amount of airflow as well as the amount of space the guard bees need to protect. When the temperatures get cold enough that the bees cluster and the entrances aren’t guarded, small mammals often seek shelter in warm, dry places like beehives, so having the entrance reduced will help keep them out.

Old wax needing to be replaced.

As the colonies naturally become less populous, boxes need to be removed and stored for the winter. Take this opportunity to inspect and cull old frames (anything over 5 years old). Over time, wax changes from a very pretty, fresh white color when it is new to brown and eventually black when it has been in use for several years. This is a good time to cull the older, black combs to make room for new frames in the spring. The old black wax is likely to have pesticide residues that can affect the health of the bees, and the cells tend to get smaller over time resulting in smaller bees. It is best to get rid of the old wax and replace them with some new sheets of foundation in the spring.

Continue to monitor all colonies for Varroa mites. Even if your bees have already been checked and mite numbers were low last month, check again. Mite numbers can increase very rapidly, both from natural build up but also from immigration of your bees robbing out nearby overridden colonies. Don’t assume mite levels are static, since if they are allowed to increase unchecked, the whole colony will suffer and have a much lower chance of making it through the winter. Take immediate action if mite levels are greater than 3 percent.

Finally, October in North Carolina means it is time for a visit to the NC State Fair! Hopefully you have entered your honey, candles, mead, or other hive products in the Bees and Honey display. Even if you haven’t, you should stop by the Expo Building to admire the displays. Many counties work very hard all summer and are excited to show off their educational booths, and individuals from across the state bring their honey and hive products to be judged in order to get that coveted blue ribbon and claim bragging rights for the year. Good luck to all participants!