Have You Wintered Down?

Smoker

Well if you are living in cool Tasmania, you would normally be wintered down by the end of March, sometimes earlier. This year has been the warmest April/May on record and some beekeepers have only finished now. In the Warre hive they would have left a box of honey (a little less than an ideal Langstroth box) for the bees to feed on and keep warm for winter. In the Lazutin hive, they would have left a half to one frame of honey next to the brood for winter.
Autumn is a great time to do some jobs before the winter break. Make sure any entrance reducers are secure against rain and wind, ensure there are no warped or rotting boards that need to be sealed with strong tape against draft and rain. For the Lazutin hive, we ensure the frames and leaderboard are fitting tightly to create a dry and warm roof cavity, that the gabled lid is secure in high winds, that the hive is level in all directions, and if you are in an ant-prone area to Vaseline the legs of the hive stand.
Are your notes up to date? Notes are a useful tool especially when you are starting out, but also useful for recording things needed for the future that you may well forget over a break, eg, add new frame at position one next season. I leave a note like this in the lid of my hive so I remember where my notes are kept!

If you still have Langstroth hives of course, you will have much more work prepping boxes and frames for next season etc and I am so pleased I no longer need to focus on this.
This is also the best time to ensure all excess wax is melted down, your hive tools are all thoroughly cleaned with bicarbonate soda and your suit is de-hooded and washed. And if you use a smoker it is good to clean it at this time as the buildup of creosote is unhealthy to inhale. There are many ways to clean smokers but I like to use the easiest method which is to unscrew the bellows and remove them, tip out any ash from the smoker and drop the smoker and lid into a large bucket of water with vinegar added. Leave it overnight and most of the creosote will wipe off

What peace of mind you then have for a break, dreaming about the next season, new equipment you may wish to build, and consuming the products from the bees.

Happy Beeking