January
- Order packages
- Read books and take classes
- Plan for the season
February
- Check for healthy brood and a good laying pattern
- Check for stored food
- Read books and take classes
March
- Build and paint equipment
- Read books and take classes
April
- Install packages
- Pick up nucs
- Check queen quality
- Feed light syrup
May
- Install packages
- Continue to feed light syrup
- Check frames are being drawn out properly
- Monitor space
- Monitor queen laying
June
- Likely add a super
- Monitor mites and respond accordingly
- Check frames are being drawn out properly
- It’s unlikely honey can be extracted from first year colonies
July
- Add space as needed
- Monitor queen laying pattern
- Start monitoring amount of adult bees
August
- Remove boxes of comb that are not likely to be filled
- Treat for mites if needed
- Winter bees are being reared now and have to be healthy to make it through the winter
September
- Some time during the month forage will pretty much dry up for the winter
- Robbing will start (mid-August in Davis)
- Hives should be opened for the shortest time possible to prevent robbing
- Hives should be equipped with robbing screens
October-December
- Feed heavy sugar syrup to colonies if light on stored honey
- Sugar water, Pro-sweet, High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Provide a little bit of hive top ventilation
- Check amount of adult bees
- Clean up old equipment
- Check, occasionally to see that covers have not been blown off
- Read and plan for the next year