November is when the nights start to get cold, and we can now say the bees are in winter mode. Daytime temperatures are usually warm enough that there will be flight activity, but as the sun sets and temperature drops below 50 F, the bees will go into a cluster to stay warm. By now, there should be enough food stored up in the hive to sustain the bees during an extended cold spell. If this is not the case, continue to provide supplemental feed as needed. Thick sugar syrup at a 2:1 ratio (sugar:water), fondant, and sugar bricks are all acceptable methods of feeding this time of year. If feed is still needed, now is the time, as once temperatures drop for any extended time, bees will not be able to get to the feeder to collect food and will have to rely on what is already stored in the combs.

Populations are continuing to downsize, and in the western part of the state, the queens may have completely shut down any brood rearing. In the piedmont and the coastal plains, queens rarely shut down completely, but colonies should be brooding down. Final checks to make sure colonies are queenright may be worthwhile, and removing extra unused hive equipment may help the colony going into winter. For example, if you only have five frames of bees and eight frames of honey in a double deep Langstroth beehive, you should knock them down into a single box and overwinter in 10 rather than 20 frames since that will improve their survival success.

The Varroa mite is a constant concern this time of year and should still be monitored to ensure the numbers are low going into winter. Oxalic acid is a common control method during winter months but is truly only effective when there is no brood present. Because of the mild temperatures throughout most of NC, the best month for this option is December. This is a good time to start assessing the mite levels and ordering the necessary products so you can be ready when the temperatures drop and the conditions are right for an oxalic acid trickle or vaporization. There is usually a short window of opportunity when colonies are completely or mostly broodless, so it is important to be ready. There will be further details next month about the various methods of oxalic acid delivery options.

While things are relatively slow in the bee yard right now, this is a great month to take advantage of the wax that was collected all summer. Hopefully you had a large honey crop, and therefore a bucket full of cappings leftover after harvesting. Get a jump start on the holiday season now and turn some of that wax into pretty candles or wax figurines! Pure beeswax candles are very desirable and make great gifts, especially for those who are hard to shop for. Lip balms and soaps are other creative options to use up that excess wax. These can also make nice presents, along with a jar of honey, to help keep the peace with any neighbors that might be slightly skeptical of your beekeeping hobby. As we always say, a jar of honey goes a long way.

Box needing repair

Finally, this is a good time to reflect on the events of this past season and think about what went well and what could have been done better. Using the knowledge you learned this season, hopefully informed by your note taking on your hives, start making a plan for next year. How many hives do you plan to maintain? What is the goal? Is it honey, pollination, or just making more bees? Take inventory of what equipment you have, what needs to be repaired, what should be replaced, and what you will need to buy new for next year. Get your list ready now. It is never too early to start planning for next year.