September 2025 Newsletter

What a summery August we had!  In general, it appears to have been a pretty decent nectar year in the Twin Cities.  The hot, humid weather made it difficult to find a window to treat for mites with formic acid, but we sure saw some impressive bearding.  Our bees are becoming more defensive this time of year, so be sure to have a well-lit smoker before opening your colonies.

Avoid robbing by keeping your inspections brief and keeping equipment covered while inspecting. You can put in your entrance reducers (on the large entrance) and bottom corks to prevent mice from coming in and to prevent robbing

If you have treated for mites, remember to test post-treatment to verify that your treatment was effective. Inspect the brood nest for signs of any late season brood diseases like Parasitic Mite Syndrome (PMS).

We have seen a rise in the prevalence of small hive beetles. They tend to hang out in the upper corners of the honey supers. If you see them in your honey supers, extract them promptly and consider freezing the honey super frames to kill any eggs or larvae.  Mechanical traps can be used on the colony, but chemical treatments should be avoided.

Hopefully, your bees have enough honey stores for winter by now (about 75-100 lbs. or at least 10 frames of honey).  If this is not the case, feed a 2:1 heavy syrup ASAP.  Our nights are getting cool, and the bees won’t take and store syrup as easily in cold temperatures. Stop feeding if the daytime temperatures are below 50 degrees, the bees need to convert the syrup and if the cold prevents them, any stored open syrup will add dangerous moisture to the winter cluster. Also, do not feed if you are treating for mites.

If there are any undrawn frames in your top box, consider trading them for the outside frames in the bottom box, or possibly condensing the colony into two deeps.  If you have two weak hives, you can combine them as long as they are both pest and disease-free.

Our colonies are busy getting the last of the season’s nectar and pollen, but they will gradually slow down and will only need brief inspections every 14 days when the temperatures are above 55 degrees.  Notice the brood area getting smaller and consider planning for a clean-up treatment when the colony has gone broodless in late fall.

As always, please contact the bee Squad at  [email protected] if you have any questions. I hope you all enjoy our transition to fall.

Jenny Warner