This month has been mostly sorting out the hives and preparing for next season. We have been checking the stands that support the hives are sound and any that aren’t we have levelled up or changed for a better stand. Sometimes over the season hives start to lean a little, especially where we have really wet, boggy ground and the slabs begin to sink slightly. Sometimes all this needs is a small readjustment, but sometimes, as the photo shows, it can be the stand itself giving way, so in these cases it is better to replace with a less weathered one than to risk it toppling over.

We also fed the last of the liquid feed and will now be feeding fondant if necessary. The plan this year is to leave the feeders on as it is always a big job taking them off, storing them, getting them back out in spring and putting them all back on the hives. We’re hoping this way we can avoid all that extra work and put our efforts into other areas. Before feeding any fondant, we will be hefting the hives to double check they actually need feeding. If they don’t, then great!

Mouseguards have gone on the front entrances of some hives this month. We have only put some on because other hives already have the wasp out entrance blocks inserted, which we actually find very useful for acting not only as a deterrent for wasps but for mice too.

With this recent cold snap, we are starting to look ahead to doing a winter oxalic acid treatment, and if the temperatures stay low for long enough, we will be looking to do this sooner rather than later. The main other job for next month will be to keep sorting through equipment and planning how best to achieve our goals for next season (very long process!).