1. Priorities for the Month

• Close out the harvest and jar the honey.
• Inspect colonies after the 1st summer treatment and prepare the next steps.
• Top up food stores without delay in preparation for overwintering.
• Reduce the robbing risk at every manipulation and every feeding.
• Assess colonies before investing further.

2. August at the Apiary : The Month's Guiding Idea

Objective To position August clearly as a turning point : the apiary's logic shifts from harvesting to preparing for overwintering.

In early August, the harvest is often winding down, forage conditions become more irregular, and the apiary enters a phase where health, food stores, and the quality of winter bees matter more than production. The decisions made now directly shape the rest of the season.

The central point of the month is straightforward : remove supers in time, do not delay the summer varroa treatment, top up food stores, and do not artificially prop up colonies with no future. At some apiaries, particularly after migratory beekeeping, a later harvest may still occur, but it must not displace the month's order of priorities.

In short, August is a month for sorting, vigilance, and direct preparation for overwintering.

Further reading

• Colony management: Beekeeping management plan
• Practical Guide : 4.3 Overwintering
• Practical Guide 1.1 : Varroa management concept

3. Priority Tasks for the Month

3.1 Close Out the Harvest and Jar the Honey

Objective Bring the harvest phase to a proper close so that the health and nutrition preparations for overwintering can begin without delay.

What to look at
The actual state of the supers, honey ripeness, moisture content before processing, and the apiary's position relative to the treatment calendar. At some apiaries, especially after migratory beekeeping, the harvest may still extend a little longer ; elsewhere it must be clearly concluded.

Concrete actions
Remove supers in time, harvest only genuinely ripe honey, then process the crop properly. If the honey is ready for sale, careful jarring and correct labelling are already part of the end-of-harvest work.

Points to watch
The desire to gain a few more kilograms must not delay super removal indefinitely. Honey harvested too early, or processed without a moisture check, risks quality problems, and a harvest extended too long can push back more important decisions regarding overwintering.

Further reading

• The honey harvest
• Controlling the water content of honey
• Honey labelling

3.2 After the 1st Summer Treatment : Monitor, Check, Prepare the Next Step

Objective To anchor August in the season's real logic : after super removal and the 1st summer treatment, the apiary enters a phase of monitoring and preparation for the next step.

What to look at
The state of colonies after the 1st summer treatment, the resumption of laying, brood pattern quality, any requeening that may be needed, and the signs indicating whether the situation is developing in the right direction.

Concrete actions
Inspect colonies after this first round, verify that they are recovering correctly, and prepare the continuation of the varroa treatment strategy without delay. In practice the window is short : in Switzerland, the 2nd summer treatment must begin no later than mid-September. August is therefore the month in which the situation must be read accurately, without losing time.

Points to watch
A colony that emerges poorly from the 1st summer treatment, resumes laying only slowly, or shows a queen problem requires a prompt decision. Waiting in the hope that things will sort themselves out often wastes precious time.

Further reading

• Practical Guide : 1.2 Overview of summer treatment methods
• Practical Guide 1.1 : Varroa management concept
• Practical Guide : 1.5.1 Measuring the natural mite drop

3.3 Top Up Food Stores Without Blocking the Overwintering Dynamic

Objective Set colonies on a sound trajectory for overwintering, with adequate food stores while not unnecessarily hindering the rearing of winter bees.

What to look at
Existing food stores, the colony's actual strength, the space still available in the brood box, how quickly syrup is taken down, and the progression of laying.

Concrete actions
Begin or continue feeding regularly, preferably in the evening, using a leak-proof feeder. Adjust quantities to the colony's actual situation and the target food store level, which is often around 16 to 20 kg depending on bee race, hive system, region, and the length of winter.

Points to watch
Poorly managed feeding can trigger robbing or fill the brood box too quickly. In August, the aim is not simply to store syrup : the colony must also retain the cells still needed for late laying, at precisely the moment when winter bees still have to be raised.

Further reading

• Practical Guide : 4.2 Feeding
• Principles of bee feeding
• Which syrup to choose for winter feeding

3.4 Assess and Sort Colonies Before Investing Further

Objective Decide which colonies genuinely merit being taken through to overwintering, and which must no longer be artificially supported (Practical Guide : 4.7.2 Destroying colonies).

What to look at
The presence of a laying queen, brood pattern quality, colony strength, colony behaviour, and its capacity to recover correctly after the harvest or after the 1st summer treatment.

Concrete actions
Sort colonies with a clear objective. A small, healthy colony can sometimes be united; a colony with a queen problem may still benefit from targeted requeening; but a doubtful, diseased, or too-weak colony must not be blindly carried through to winter.

Points to watch
Continuing to feed all colonies identically in August is often a mistake. This month demands genuine sorting : not every unit present at the apiary is necessarily a good candidate for overwintering.

Further reading

• Practical Guide : 4.7.2 Destroying colonies
• Practical Guide : 4.7 Colony assessment and selection
• Uniting colonies
• Renewing colonies and queens

3.5 Actively Prevent Robbing

Objective Prevent a dearth period or poorly managed feeding from rapidly destabilising the apiary.

What to look at
The general atmosphere at the apiary, flight activity at the entrance, weak colonies, fighting in front of the entrance, and abnormal coming and going during or after feeding.

Concrete actions
Reduce the entrance if necessary, feed in the evening, avoid spills, use a leak-proof feeder, and limit unnecessary manipulations or overly long hive openings. In August, a few simple actions can make a big difference.
Super frames or frames with honey residues must not be left out in the open for bees to clean up : this encourages robbing and can contribute to disease transmission.

Points to watch
Robbing is not merely a loss of food stores. It increases stress across the apiary, weakens already fragile colonies, and can also trigger serious health problems.

Further reading

• Practical Guide : 4.8.3 Robbing
• Practical Guide : 4.8.1 Entrance observation
• Practical Guide : 3.2 Dearth periods

3.6 Manage Summer Nucleus Colonies Without Triggering a Generalised Late Multiplication

Objective Give already-established young colonies a genuine chance, without turning August into a normal window for generalised late colony multiplication.

What to look at
Queen acceptance, the presence of laying, frame coverage progression, food store levels, and the particular vulnerability of nucleus colonies to robbing and developmental delays.

Concrete actions
Follow up on already-formed summer nucleus colonies, feed them according to their stage of development, monitor their progress, and honestly assess their capacity to reach a credible level for overwintering (5–6 frames).

Points to watch
August is not a month for generalised late colony multiplication. A late nucleus formation may still be justified in specific cases, but it requires precise management and must not be presented as a routine solution.

Further reading

• Summer nucleus colonies from super bees
• Nucleus colony formation
• Renewing colonies and queens

4. Colony Health / Varroa / Asian Hornet

Objective To highlight that in August, colony health depends as much on varroa control as on attentiveness to the apiary's less visible warning signs.

August is a decisive month for the quality of winter bees. After the harvest and in the period following the 1st summer treatment, careful attention must be paid to brood condition, the resumption of laying, any requeening that may be required, and the colony's overall vitality.

Asian Hornet

In August, the Asian hornet becomes a genuine subject of vigilance at the apiary : hovering in front of the entrance and the capture of foragers should raise the alarm. In affected areas and where local pressure is significant, a meshed entrance or a entrance protection grid may then prove useful. Traps are not recommended ; if in doubt, document the situation and report it at frelonasiatique.ch.

Further reading

• Practical Guide : 2.8 Varroosis
• Practical Guide : 2.7 Asian hornet
• Asian hornet : how to recognise it and what to do at the apiary?

5. Food Stores and Current Forage Conditions

Objective To read the late-summer situation accurately : food stores, dearth conditions, and resources still available must be considered together.

In August, forage conditions often become more irregular. Some regions still have worthwhile nectar flows, while others are already entering a tighter period. The apiary must therefore be read in its real context, without assuming that all colonies still find what they need.

The practical point is twofold : secure food stores and monitor for dearth conditions. A colony short of natural inputs becomes more sensitive to robbing, internal stress, and management errors.

The question of protein supply can arise in certain contexts, but must not become an automatic response. In practice, natural pollen remains the reference. Protein supplementation should only be considered when a genuine shortage or demonstrably compromised development justifies it—for example when pollen intake remains persistently low and the food wreath around the brood becomes insufficient.

Further reading

• Practical Guide : 4.2 Feeding
• Practical Guide : 3.2 Dearth periods
• Protein feeding for bees : useful or overrated?

6. In the Workshop / Organisation

Objective Prepare the remainder of the season properly : what happens in the workshop in August also determines the quality of work at the apiary and of the honey put up for sale.

When supers still need to be processed, the honey's water content must be checked before jarring. Removed frames and supers must then be stored correctly to prevent mould, contamination, and wax moth damage.

If the honey is ready for sale, careful jarring, correct labelling, and compliance with basic requirements are all part of the end-of-harvest work. August is also a good moment for straightforward, methodical organisation : feeding equipment ready, treatment equipment ready, and workspace clean.

Further reading

• Practical Guide : 4.4.2 Comb storage
• Honey labelling
• Beekeeping and honey law in Switzerland

7. Depending on the Context

Objective To account for particular situations without losing sight of the month's priorities.

Depending on the region and altitude, some colonies on migratory beekeeping routes may still yield a later harvest. This situation exists, but it must not obscure what is essential : a delayed harvest does not justify postponing the health and nutrition preparations for colonies indefinitely.

Likewise, depending on the apiary, particular pressures may arise at the end of summer : severe local dearth, increased hornet predation, or constraints related to moving colonies. The right response is always the same : adapt management to the context without losing sight of the month's priorities.

Further reading

• Practical Guide : 4.9.1 Migratory beekeeping with colonies
• Successful overwintering
• Varroa : The brood break

8. What Not to Do Now

Objective To highlight the timing and management errors that prove costly in late summer.

• Do not let the harvest drag on too late in the hope of an additional yield : preparing for overwintering must take priority.
• Do not defer the summer varroa treatment at the risk of compromising the health of winter bees.
• Do not feed carelessly during a dearth period : spills, poorly sealed feeders, and unnecessary hive openings encourage robbing.
• Do not leave super frames or frames with honey residues out in the open for bees to clean up : this excites the bees, encourages robbing, and increases the risk of disease transmission through honey or contaminated equipment.
• Do not fill colonies to the point of occupying cells still needed for late laying.
• Do not artificially maintain non-viable colonies.
• Do not present August as a standard month for late nucleus colony formation.

---

► Other months...

| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |