January

• Not much to do this month except read up on Beekeeping to learn a few new things.  The bees are consuming their honey stores to stay warm.  The more bees in your hive, the more honey they will consume.  Italian bees seem to consume more honey than most other races.  If your feeders are on your hives make sure they never go empty. Emergency feeding if necessary.
• Reduce the hive entrance and check for blockage from buildup of dead bees or snow. Use a stick to scrape out the dead bees that have fallen onto the bottom board.
• Be sure roof is secure.
• Place your packaged bees order for this year.

February

• Order package bees now (last chance!)
• This time of year is when most colonies die of starvation.  If a hive dies open it up to examine the cause.
• Use a stick to scrape out the dead bees that have fallen onto the bottom board.
• Open hives on a nice 55^oF day
• Feed a pollen substitute toward the end of the month to get the queen ready for brood rearing.

March

• Most important month in beekeeping since it will affect the hive all year
• This time of year is when most colonies die of starvation.  If a hive dies open it up to examine the cause.
• Medicate at least 60 days prior to adding supers.
• As the cluster grows, shift frames with eggs to the center and frames of sealed brood to the outer position.
• Add brood chambers with drawn comb to the strongest hives.
• Reverse double brood chambers to move the empty frames to the top and center. This will stimulate growth of the hive.
• Check for mites and treat if needed - DO NOT treat if not needed
• Feed the hive and feed a pollen substitute for a faster build-up (Bee Pro patties preferred)
• If necessary start feeding the hives a 1:1 sugar syrup mixture (1 parts sugar to 1 part water - by weight). That's approximately 5 pounds of sugar to 10 cups (60 oz) of water
• Check colony weight ("light" meaning no honey stores in the frames)
  - if weight of hive is "light" feed 1:1 sugar syrup
  - if weight of hive is "very light" feed and move honey frames closer
     to the cluster
  - if weight of hive is "OK" check for viable Queen, eggs, brood and
     feed pollen substitute

April

• Second most important month in beekeeping
• Remove the entrance reducers.
• Install "screened bottom board" to help reduce the mite population in the hive
• Stop feeding hive the 1:1 Sugar Syrup when the dandelions are in bloom
• In order to prevent swarming: add supers, spread out the frames with brood, cut queen cells, limit barriers to bee movement upward into the supers.
• Replace any queens due to old age, temperament, or bad brood pattern.
• Check for mites and treat if needed - DO NOT treat if not needed
• Feed the hive and feed a pollen substitute for a faster build-up (Bee Pro patties preferred)
• Start frame and box manipulation for swarm prevention (especially if you have feed a pollen substitute)
• Check for good egg laying patterns
• Work to keep queen in lower boxes by keeping open honey comb around her and in the lower box and capped brood in the upper box
• Replace queen if needed

May

• Third most important month in beekeeping
• Add a queen excluder if you can not keep Queen in the lower "Brood" Supers. Enlarge brood area by adding supers if necessary
• Check for hive beetles and install traps if necessary
• Check for brood diseases, mites and hive beetles
• Check for swarming signs like brood congestion and "peanut" shaped "queen cups" along the bottom of the frames frequently, especially if feeding and giving a pollen substitute.
• Add honey supers before necessary. Give them plenty of room to bring in the pollen and nectar, but toward the end of the nectar flow you will want to crowd the bees to finish out partially filled supers.
• Place "grease patties" (1 part vegetable shortening (i.e. Crisco) to 2 parts sugar and made into thin "hamburger-like patties) on the top bars of the brood supers (2 per super) to help combat tracheal mites.

June

• WARNING: Colonies that swarm now may not recover before winter
• Check for brood disease, mites and beetles
• Keep checking for swarming signs like brood congestion and "peanut" shaped "queen cups" along the bottom of the frames
• Add honey supers before necessary
• Consider using queen excluders if you can not keep Queen in the lower "Brood" Supers.
• Begin to take off frames of capped honey and replace with empty frames/foundation.

July

• The nectar flow will continue this month and you may even find your bees festooning (a group of bees hanging onto each other in a cluster) along the side of a hive. Some say they are cooling themselves. Add more supers as needed.
• Check for capped honey for possible honey extraction
• Check for brood disease, mites and laying patterns of the queen
• Replace queen if necessary
• Add supers for honey storage (adding them low is better).
• Be aware if the hive is becoming "honey bound" in the brood boxes or if nectar is being stored in the brood area
• Provide adequate ventilation in this hot weather.  Lift up outer cover with small sticks to provide more ventilation
• Provide a close water source for the hives
• The nectar flow will continue this month and you may even find your bees festooning (a group of bees hanging onto each other in a cluster) along the side of a hive. Some say they are cooling themselves. Add more supers as needed.

August

• The hive begins to slow down as the nectar flow decreases.  It is unlikely that the bees will draw new comb this time of year so putting foundation in the hive is usually unproductive.
• Check for brood disease, mites and laying patterns of the queen
• Replace queen if necessary
• Reduce the stress on your bees
  - hot bees are stressed bees
  - diseased bees are stressed bees
  - crowded bees are stressed bees
  - skunks and insecticides in the are cause stressed bees
• Stressed bees may start to rob neighboring hives

September

• The hive population drops and the drones begin to die off. Harvest the remainder of your honey crop early in the month, but remember to leave the hive with at least 60 lbs. for use over the winter.
• Near the end of the month, feed and medicate.
• Install Apistan strips or CheckMite (for 42 days)
• Start winter preparations
• Start feeding the hives a 2:1 sugar syrup mixture (2 parts sugar to 1 part water - by weight). That's approximately 5 pounds of sugar to 5 cups (40 oz) of water
• Possibly treat with Fumagilin-B in the sugar syrup. Fumagilin-B combats Nosema, a debilitating diarrhea-like disease of adult honey bees.
   
• Replace queen if necessary

October

• The bees are preparing for winter.
• Add any necessary insulation or windbreaks around the hive being careful to ALLOW FOR VENTILATION during the winter.  Most colonies die due to moisture in the hive, not the cold.
• Remove the Apistan or CheckMite strips.
• Replace the "screened bottom board" with a solid bottom board for the winter
• Store your equipment.
• Remove mite control strips if they were applied
• Continue to feed if necessary
• Monitor brood patterns but keep in mind some races stop laying brood early

November

• Not much to do this month. The bees are clustering together on colder days. 
• Winterize colonies by placing a weight on top of the cover to prevent high winds from blowing it off
• Mouse proof the entrances
• Provide a wind break to protect the colonies
• Place hay bails between hives for insulation
• Also a good time to think of all the terrific honey-related gifts you could prepare for Christmas gifs: Bottle some of your honey in decorative containers and tie with a festive ribbon, make candles with your beeswax

December

• Check hives periodically for weight
• Colonies can be moves this time of year with no ill effects
• After a heavy snow brush the snow away from the entrance to the hive to allow for ventilation
• Use a stick to scrape out the dead bees that have fallen onto the bottom board.
• Develop a plan for your hives for the New Year and write it down