The weather of the month

Heat and fair weather generally prevail until mid-month. Around 15 August, it is not uncommon for rain to return. Sap rises again in the leaves, and the “August flush” marks the period of budding with dormant eyes. Flowers reappear in gardens; indeed, this is often the time when annual sowings perform best, offering richly flowering beds. However, the duration of sunshine decreases rapidly, so the foraging time available to bees becomes increasingly shorter.

Colony life

After the intensive feeding in July, the colony transforms syrup into honey. Bees ingest syrup, part of which they regurgitate after concentrating it and adding enzymes. This regurgitation is directed both to other bees and into an elevated cell that already contains concentrated syrup, which the bees gradually complete until an enzyme-enriched honey is obtained. Capping occurs once the water content does not exceed 18%, thereby ensuring preservation.

At the same time, increasing space is freed within the brood nest. During this syrup-concentration activity, feeding stimulates the hypopharyngeal glands, royal jelly becomes abundant, and the queen’s egg-laying resumes rapidly. Brood then spreads within the colony; the population, which has been declining since July, stabilises. It will increase again in the following weeks before declining in October. The aim of this process is to ensure a very strong population of young bees at the beginning of autumn.

Bee biology

This syrup-concentration activity is detrimental to the bees responsible for it. Their digestive tract wears out rapidly, with a clear impact on their lifespan. In return, the brood emerging in late August and September will produce healthy bees that will remain so; most of them will be at rest. Indeed, once reserves have been stored, the colony no longer gathers, and the activity of most bees then consists solely of consuming pollen and eating part of the open brood—providing a massive intake of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates, which are major sources for fat bodies. These fat bodies are essential for overwintering and the resumption of egg-laying, but they are depleted during wintering when infestation by varroa and Nosema apis is too high. Autumn and winter treatments, together with protein-enriched feeding, are therefore essential to ensure the survival of young bees. At the same time, the hypopharyngeal glands of bees remain active, ageing is halted, and these bees will be able to resume their role as nurse bees as soon as temperatures rise, in January or February. When winters are mild, the activity of nurse bees in fact never completely ceases, and they maintain a small brood continuously.

Hygiene and health at the apiary

There is nothing particular to do in August other than carry out the second varroa treatment. This should be performed in the second half of August (or early September) using formic acid. Special evaporators are available for this purpose and must be handled in strict accordance with the instructions for use.

In the absence of brood, a third treatment with oxalic acid should be carried out in December or January. Dosages and treatment techniques must be carefully respected; these products, whatever their nature, are aggressive to bees and reduce queen lifespan.

Work at the apiary

Varroa treatment

By the end of August, or at the latest early September, the second summer treatment is required. There are several methods for treatment with formic acid:

• Trickling treatment
• Apidea diffuser
• Liebig diffuser
• Nassenheider diffuser
• MAQS treatment

Honey care

Jarring honey

After filtration and settling, honey is ready for jarring. Do not hesitate to present it in attractive containers with fine labels that crown a year of hard work. Legal labelling requirements for sale are governed by the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Consumer Goods. Among all containers, glass is my preference: it is perfectly transparent, airtight, and releases no foreign substances into the honey. The colour of the honey is clearly visible and its flavour remains intact. Glass does age, but without external influence on the honey.

► See article on honey labelling

 

Creamed honey

Today, creamed honeys are highly sought after. After crystallisation, professionals mill the honey mechanically. The amateur beekeeper has little alternative but to let honey crystallise more or less depending on its composition. Cold accelerates and intensifies crystallisation: some honeys, such as acacia honey, never crystallise because of their high fructose content. Others, such as rapeseed honey, have a mixed glucose/fructose profile and become hard within less than a week. Care should be taken not to allow honey to crystallise in the settling tank. The mandatory use of a liquefier alters honey, which begins to degrade at 50 °C and then no longer complies with marketing standards.

 

Reducing colonies

Once bees have stored sufficient honey for winter, open the hives and check the state of reserves. Remove empty or insufficiently filled frames. Keep in the hive only those frames that are at least half full. Insert a dummy board. Shift the colony towards the side that receives the earliest morning sun [it can be reduced to five frames because, with two brood frames and three honey frames at this time of year, the colony is virtually assured of overwintering]. If the queen is from the current year, the start in March will very likely be of good quality. If the queen is old, however, it is advisable to replace her, as she may become sterile the following year.

Other articles: ► Feeding ► Uniting colonies ► Uniting bee colonies ► Honey labelling ► Month by month: July ► Month by month: September