January Checklist

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Make frequent visits to apiaries particularly in cold, wet and windy weather
    The outside temperature may be about zero so the bees will be generating a lot of heat and using a great deal of the honey stores to generate that heat.

    Now is the time when the remaining stores in the hive will be used rapidly and we must ensure that the colony does not run out.

    Hefting the hive will identify those where we did not leave enough food for the bees.

    If a hive is very light then the best food is a pad of candy placed immediately over the brood on the top bars

Treat for varroa if considered necessary
    January is also a good time to treat the bees with oxalic acid as a control for varroa.

    When there is no brood in the nest all the mites are in the phoretic stage and where they are most vulnerable to oxalic acid.

    Two major points here are: use only a properly formulated medicine and follow the instructions; do not over- or under-dose the colony

    Apply the medication when there is a minimum quantity of sealed brood in the colony and complete the individual medicine records for each colony treated

Check standing hives
    Check stands, straps, mouse guards, woodpecker protection

    Ensure that entrances are clear.

    Try and assess early forage, but if the weather is very cold this will not happen

    But if the the queen is still present and laying eggs, the workers will take every opportunity to fly to collect pollen