October 23, 2024
In beekeeping, it’s all about anticipating the needs of the bees. As the seasons shift, we make sure to help prepare our colonies for a successful transition.
One of the ways we help out the hard-working bees is through what we call “consolidation”. This process includes rearranging frames within the hives to better organize their resources. We also typically remove one or two of the hive boxes.
The time has come to downsize their spaces. As forage becomes less naturally available, the queen begins slowing down her egg laying to create a healthy size population that can be sustained over the winter time. The colony’s population will continue to decline in preparation for the winter, so they don’t need all that extra space!