August is the month to feed your bees.
Keep them healthy in preparation for the coming colder temperatures by providing the calories they need to be robust. Capped sugar water can get provide winter stores if they have not produced enough honey. Have you ever tried a sugar/candy board?
Check your hives strength in the first half of the month.
If you want to make any splits; do so, within the first 15 days of August. Otherwise you run the risk of not giving the bees enough time to build up their workers and provisions before Winter shows up.
By the end of the month check your hives for any weakness.
If you have a weak hive here’s a few ideas to try.
- Try to build it up with extra feedings; maybe use a sugar board, raw sugar, or sugar water. Combine the weak hive with another weaker hive and feed it to try and build it up. Or, combine it with a stronger hive.
- Here’s a great link from Roger Senegal about checking for mites:
https://mailchi.mp/747e418613ce/time-to-mitecheck-1571805?e=718d79e42c - Here’s another link from Roger regarding our success as beekeepers. It points out how crucial our attitude is toward our bees, if they are going to have any chance at survival. http://u.osu.edu/beelab/honey-beeanimal-husbandry-what-and-when-you-do-or-dont-do-matters-with-alex-zomchek/ On this site, there’s a PDF document available for download Honey Bee Husbandry. Please also click on “WEBINARS” at the above URL for recent posts; they are excellent!!