January:

1. It may still be possible to order bees for this year. In the past, some bee suppliers have sold out of packages by the end of December. In other years, they still had bees in January. Call soon to get your order in.
2. If the temperature will be above 60 degrees during the day, check hives for stores of honey by slightly lifting the top deep and judge if it is light or heavy. If light, that means the bees have eaten most of the stored honey. Many bees starve in January and February. Feed sugar syrup if necessary. However, if you start with feeding sugar syrup, you must continue until Spring flowers arrive.
3. Check for dead or failing colonies.
4. Make any necessary repairs to hives or equipment.
5. Order replacements for any equipment lost or damaged during the year that is not repairable.
6. Make sure the bees have an adequate supply of fresh water.
7. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
8. Don't forget to calendar your bee pick up date.
9. If you didn't do it in December, consider putting a mouse guard in the front entrance of each hive. Mice love the warmth of a hive in the colder months.
10. Resolve to read at least one bee book this year.
11. Make sure your tetanus booster is current.

February:

1. If we have a stretch of warm weather, you can check your hives to see if there is enough honey stored. The second deep should have between 15 and 20 pounds of honey. Give it a heft. If it feels light, feed 1:1 sugar syrup until Spring flowers arrive.
2. Many beekeepers feed 1:1 sugar syrup and pollen substitute all this month (and in March) to stimulate the queen to begin laying eggs. 3. Make sure water is available for the bees.
4. If you are treating for Nosema, add Fumidil-B to the 1:1 sugar syrup as per package directions.
5. If you are using chemical treatment for Varroa mites, read the label to make sure the chemical is active at the lower temperatures we face in February. Some treatments are not. If yours is, put it in now for the length of time specified. Do this before the honey flows starts. Don’t forget to remove the treatment once the time specified on the label is up.
6. If you are using menthol to treat for tracheal mites, follow the package instructions.
7. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
8. Check your beekeeping supplies and order any necessary replacement parts.

March:

1. Continue with spring feeding of 1:1 sugar syrup on new hives, and consider adding Honey B Healthy to the mix.
2. Continue with spring feeding of pollen substitute on new hives, or consider adding Amino-B Booster to the sugar syrup.
3. Check comb for eggs and a healthy brood pattern.
4. Check for congestion. Add super if necessary.
5. Consider reversing your hives to prevent spring swarms.
6. Get ready for the spring honey flow. For each hive, have at least two honey supers and frames on hand to add at a moment’s notice.
7. If you used chemical treatments for mites or Nosema, remove the chemical treatments at least four weeks prior to the honey flow.
8. On established hives, remove winter hive reducers from front of hive.
9. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
10. Make sure water is available for the bees.

April:

1. Continue with spring feeding of 1:1 sugar syrup on new hives, and consider adding Honey B Healthy to the mix.
2. Continue with spring feeding of pollen substitute on new hives, or consider adding Amino-B Booster to the sugar syrup.
3. On new hives, make sure the entrance reducer remains on the small hole setting all this month.
4. On new hives, if one is using a Boardman feeder, make sure the small hole on the entrance reducer is on the side of the hive farthest away from the Boardman feeder.
5. Check comb for eggs and a healthy brood pattern.
6. On established hives, watch out for congestion. Add supers if necessary if seven out of ten frames have drawn comb. Remember that if your supers have drawn comb, the bees can fill a medium box in two weeks during the spring bloom.
7. Spring honey flow continues. Have at least two honey supers and frames on hand to add at a moment’s notice.
8. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
9. Make sure water is available for the bees.

May:

1. Continue with spring feeding of 1:1 sugar syrup for newly established hives. Consider adding Honey-B-Healthy to sugar syrup.
2. Continue with spring feeding of pollen substitute for newly established hives. Consider adding Amino-B Booster to sugar syrup as your protein source.
3. Check comb for eggs and a healthy brood pattern.
4. On newly established hives, leave the entrance reducer on smallest hole. New hives do not have enough bees to defend anything other than the smallest hole on the entrance reducer.
5. On first year hives, add a second deep when seven out of ten frames have drawn comb.
6. On established hives, check for congestion. Add supers if necessary when seven out of ten frames have drawn comb. This can happen in less than two weeks if the honey flow is strong.
7. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
8. Make sure water is available for the bees.

June:

1. Continue with spring feeding of 1:1 sugar syrup for newly established hives. Consider adding Honey-B-Healthy to sugar syrup.
2. Continue with spring feeding of pollen substitute for newly established hives. Consider adding Amino-B Booster to sugar syrup as your protein source.
3. Check comb for eggs and a healthy brood pattern.
4. On newly established hives rotate the entrance reducer to the larger hole after hiving your bees. Enough eggs should have hatched out by then on hives established in April so that the hive is actually increasing in size. Still, the hive can benefit from having the entrance reducer in place for another two to four weeks while the number of guard bees reaches full strength. After that, you can remove the entrance reducer entirely.
5. Check frames for drawn or capped comb. On established hives, add a super if seven out of ten frames have capped comb. On newly established hives, add your second deep if seven out of ten frames have drawn comb, whether or not it is capped.
6. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
7. Watch the weather for rain. A drought will slow down your bees. The harm from a drought comes from the fact that there is a decrease in the number of plants in bloom and there is also a decrease in the amount of nectar in the blooms that do take place. A drip watering system will help those plants in your yard on which the bees depend.
8. Begin checking your extracting supplies to make sure you are ready for extraction. Order replacement equipment and honey bears as needed.
9. Make sure water is available for the bees.

July:

1. On newly established hives, if the bees are still drinking the sugar syrup, continue with “spring” feeding of 1:1 sugar syrup. Consider adding Honey-B-Healthy to sugar syrup. It is a judgment call as to how long you need to continue supplemental feeding of a new hive. The bees will tell you when they no longer need the sugar syrup. When they stop eating the sugar syrup, you will know it is time to stop feeding them. Also, if a summer drought hits, supplemental feeding may be needed during summer.
2. Continue with “spring” feeding of pollen substitute for newly established hives. Consider adding Amino-B Booster to sugar syrup as your protein source.
3. Check frames for healthy brood pattern.
4. Remove the entrance reducers on any newly established hives.
5. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
6. If you are going to add chemicals such as Terra-patties, Apistan strips, and menthol to treat your bees, be sure and remove and extract the honey supers so they will not be contaminated by the chemicals.
7. Inspect established hives to determine if any will need to be requeened in the fall.
8. Watch the weather for rain. A severe drought may cause even established hives to require supplemental feeding of both sugar syrup and protein substitute in July and August in preparation for a fall honey flow, if there is one. Order your protein substitute so it will be here in time.
9. Begin checking your extracting supplies to make sure you are ready for extraction. Order replacement equipment and honey bears as needed.
10. Make sure water is available for the bees.

August:

1. On newly established hives, if the bees are still drinking the sugar syrup, continue with “spring” feeding of 1:1 sugar syrup. Consider adding Honey-B-Healthy to sugar syrup. It is a judgment call as to how long you need to continue supplemental feeding of a new hive. The bees will tell you when they no longer need the sugar syrup. When they stop eating the sugar syrup, you will know it is time to stop feeding them. Also, if a summer drought hits, supplemental feeding may be needed during summer.
2. Continue with “spring” feeding of pollen substitute for newly established hives. Consider adding Amino-B Booster to sugar syrup as your protein source.
3. Check comb for eggs and a healthy brood pattern.
4. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
5. If you are going to add chemicals such as Terra-patties, Apistan strips, and menthol to treat your bees, you should have removed your spring supers and extracted that honey to avoid contamination. Be sure and remove any chemical treatments on the schedule stated on the packaging and make sure all chemicals are removed before the fall honey flow starts in September (if we’re lucky).
6. Inspect established hives to determine which ones will need to be requeened in the fall.
7. Watch the weather for rain. A severe drought may cause even established hives to require supplemental feeding of both sugar syrup and protein substitute in July and August in preparation for a fall honey flow, if we are lucky enough to get a fall flow.
8. Begin checking your extracting supplies to make sure you are ready for extraction. Order replacement equipment and honey bears as needed.
9. Make sure water is available for the bees.

September:

1. On newly established hives, if the bees are still drinking the sugar syrup, continue with “spring” feeding of 1:1 sugar syrup. Consider adding Honey-B-Healthy to sugar syrup. It is a judgment call as to how long you need to continue supplemental feeding of a new hive. The bees will tell you when they no longer need the sugar syrup. When they stop eating the sugar syrup, you will know it is time to stop feeding them. Also, if a summer drought hits, supplemental feeding may be needed during summer.
2. Continue with “spring” feeding of pollen substitute for newly established hives. Consider adding Amino-B Booster to sugar syrup as your protein source.
3. Check comb for eggs and a healthy brood pattern.
4. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
5. If you are going to add chemicals such as Terra-patties, Apistan strips, and menthol to treat your bees, you should have removed your spring supers and extracted that honey to avoid contamination. Be sure and remove any chemical treatments on the schedule stated on the packaging and make sure all chemicals are removed before the fall honey flow starts in September (if we’re lucky).
6. Inspect established hives to determine which ones will need to be requeened in the fall.
7. Watch the weather for rain. A severe drought may cause even established hives to require supplemental feeding of both sugar syrup and protein substitute in July and August in preparation for a fall honey flow, if we are lucky enough to get a fall flow.
8. Begin checking your extracting supplies to make sure you are ready for extraction. Order replacement equipment and honey bears as needed.
9. Make sure water is available for the bees.

October:

1. If your first-year bees have not fully filled out the second deep, continue with “spring” feeding of 1:1 sugar syrup for newly established hives. Consider adding Honey-B-Healthy to sugar syrup. It is a judgment call as to how long you need to continue supplemental feeding of a new hive. The bees will tell you when they no longer need the sugar syrup. When they stop eating the sugar syrup, you will know it is time to stop feeding them. Also, if a summer drought hits, supplemental feeding may be needed during summer.
2. If your first year bees have not fully filled out the second deep, continue with spring feeding of pollen substitute for newly established hives. Consider adding Amino-B Booster to sugar syrup as your protein source.
3. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
4. At this late date, if you are going to add chemicals such as Terra-patties, Apistan strips, and menthol to treat your bees, you must remove your spring supers and extract that honey. You must also forego the fall honey flow if you plan to treat chemically at this time.
5. If you are not adding fall chemicals and you plan to requeen, now is the time to requeen established hives for the fall.
6. If you are using queen excluders, be sure to get them on the hives before the fall honey flow begins. Many beekeepers do not use queen excluders, because they hurt honey production.
7. Begin checking your extracting supplies to make sure you are ready for extraction once the fall honey flow is complete. Order replacement equipment and honey bears as needed. Although the Houston Beekeepers Association has extraction equipment for member use, you will need to supply your own five-gallon buckets and containers for your honey.
8. Make sure water is available for the bees.

November:

1. If you are ordering packages or queens for next spring, get your order in as soon as possible. In the past, some bee suppliers have sold out of packages by the end of December. To avoid disappointment, get your order in early.
2. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
3. Some beekeepers reduce the hive entrances for winter. Consider adding a mouse guard to your entrance.
4. If you used queen excluders during the year, be sure you have removed them from your hives during the winter months.
5. Get out your catalogs and order any new equipment you need for next year.
6. If you didn’t get around to keeping a bee journal this year, resolve to remedy that situation f or the coming year.
7. Leave your bee catalogs out in conspicuous places with your selections clearly marked so friends and family can get the right stuff for your bee gifts.
8. Make sure water is available for the bees.

December:

0. This list is a repeat of the November checklist because these two months are so alike for beekeeping.
1. If you are ordering packages or queens for next spring, get your order in as soon as possible. In the past, some bee suppliers have sold out of packages by the end of December. To avoid disappointment, get your order in early.
2. Check your small hive beetle traps and replace the oil as needed.
3. Some beekeepers reduce the hive entrances for winter. Consider adding a mouse guard to your entrance.
4. If you used queen excluders during the year, be sure you have removed them from your hives during the winter months.
5. Get out your catalogs and order any new equipment you need for next year.
6. If you didn’t get around to keeping a bee journal this year, resolve to remedy that situation f or the coming year.
7. Leave your bee catalogs out in conspicuous places with your selections clearly marked so friends and family can get the right stuff for your bee gifts.
8. Make sure water is available for the bees.

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