FRANKFORT, Ky. — October is upon us and the weather is changing quickly, becoming cooler. This is the time of year when beekeepers need to take action to prepare the colony for cold-temperature survival.

Honeybees do not hibernate in winter, but when it gets cold they cluster together to stay warm. They do not leave the hive for food or waste elimination. They eat honey stored in a bee super for energy to produce heat. That is why, after the summer honey flow, beekeepers must leave adequate nectar for them.

Phil Craft, the state apiarist at the Kentucky State Department of Agriculture, says bees gather together in a large cluster in the center of the hive. “Large clusters are more successful at survival than smaller clusters,” he explained. “Also, one should keep in mind that not all of the bees in a hive will survive until spring.”

Another government apiarist, Dr. Thomas Webster of the Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension Program in Georgetown, compiled the informative Kentucky Beekeeper’s Calendar, which may be downloaded as a PDF file from the Internet.

Webster said October is the month when honeybees in Kentucky cut their brood-rearing activity. At this point, male drone bees – who do no work and are there only for reproduction – are put out from the hive by the female worker bees. At this time the workers begin the process of preparing the hive for winter. They produce and collect a sticky substance that comes from plant resins, called propolis. Propolis is used to fill in cracks that let the cold air into a wooden hive.

Webster says the queen excluder panels should be removed by October, since it is no longer necessary to keep the queen in the lower box since there will be no brood until spring. Late October or early November is also the time to remove pest treatment strips and packs.

At this time, keepers may give the bees a little syrup if it has not gotten too cold already. October is sometimes too late to feed them if they don’t have enough nectar stored. Webster said entrance reducers should be installed on the hive in October. This can be especially helpful in rural areas, where rodents will move in for the winter if they can. “Be sure that you reduce the bottom entrance to about 1/4-inch so that mice cannot get in,” he said.

“Remove supers and extra hive bodies so that the hive is no more than two hive bodies tall. The hive body must be stable so that it will not tip over during winter.”

In the latest published issue of his Buzz Briefs, Craft discussed fall hive management. He said there are four areas crucial for bee colonies to meet to survive a long winter:

•Having a queen-right colony

•Having a strong colony population

•Having sufficient food stores

•Having healthy bees

A queen-right colony means there must be a healthy queen present that will be ready to lay eggs in the spring. The presence of eggs or larvae in early October is proof enough.

Second, there should be a large colony of bees still present in the hive. Craft suggests the colony should be large enough to cover all frames in a deep box.

Third, there needs to be sufficient food on hand. Craft says colonies need 50-55 pounds of honey or sugar syrup on hand. One deep frame will hold six pounds, he added.

Fourth, each hive should be relatively free of parasites and disease. Craft told his readers he is not high on hasty or haphazard treatment for pests and digestive tract organisms; however, they are the greatest threat to the bees’ survival in the state of Kentucky.

Finally, beekeeper Alan Crone of nearby Depauw, in southern Indiana, said he does not use chemical treatments, but he is losing many bees over the winter. “I like everything to be as natural as possible,” said Crone, who has 25 hives in his bee yard; however, he also said he is not happy with the number of bees lost each year.