Equipment

Anticipating what you will need in the near future and having the appropriate equipment ready before you need it, will save you many a headache. Moreover, keeping all of your equipment in good and clean shape will prevent diseases from spreading from hive to hive through your equipment.

Spring
You should get the equipment ready for the season. This includes:

• sorting combs in boxes, including prepared wax foundation frames
• preparing extra bottom boards, hive bodies, and roofs to make nuclei from swarming and non-swarming colonies
• preparing a couple of swarm boxes for catching swarms.

Early Summer
For early summer, you should prepare hive boxes with an appropriate number of wax foundation frames. Additionally, you will need some extra bottom boards, hive roofs, and hive bodies with wax foundation frames for managing swarming colonies.

Mid Summer
The drone rearing usually stops in mid-July. The next varroa control, then, is carried out in August. You should prepare materials and equipments for:

• harvesting, extracting and storing the honey yield
• feeding the honey bee colonies
• controlling the varroa mites after harvesting.