Due to most of our officers being out of town during the first week of August, we are regrettably going to have to cancel our monthly meeting in Cave Springs that was scheduled for Thursday, August 5.  The topic of discussion for this meeting was going to be on starting to think about preparing your hives for winter.  We will be discussing this more in our upcoming meetings, but now is the time, especially for our new beekeepers, to begin getting things in mind for what is coming over the next few months. 

When it comes to overwintering bees, your preparation has to begin now.  Do I have the right equipment?  Do I insulate my hives or not?  Do they have enough honey stored up?  How much is enough? When do I start feeding 2/1 sugar water?  Do I need to use dry sugar, sugar cakes, candy boards, or any other type of winter feeding method?  What about screened bottom boards?  What about upper entrances?  Do I need to make a quilt box to put on top?  And there are a thousand other questions that will come up, along with a thousand different answers and opinions.  Pretty much par for the course for beekeeping.  Below are a few videos for you to begin thinking about what it is going to take to get your bees ready for the winter.  Each of these videos come from different parts of the country, where methods may be different than NW Arkansas, but they all give you a good idea of many of the things you need to start thinking about.   

As winter gets closer, remember that the Benton County Beekeepers Association members are here to help and answer any questions you may have.  Again, we are sorry to have to cancel the August meeting, but we are always just a phone call, text, or email away if you need help with anything.