Rockingham County Beekeepers Association

10/08/2026

𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿.

Spring gets all the attention.
Summer gets all the honey.

But October...
October is when beekeepers quietly decide whether their colonies have a good chance of seeing spring again.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗵𝗶𝘃𝗲
𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀

October is about preparation.

The flowers are fading.
The days are getting shorter.
The bees are raising the last generation that will carry the colony through winter.

Here's what should be on every beekeeper's October checklist.

𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱.
• Lift the back of the hive.
• Verify they have adequate honey stores for your area.
• If they're light, continue feeding 2:1 syrup while daytime temperatures stay warm enough for the bees to process it.

𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘆𝗿𝘂𝗽.
• Once daytime temperatures stay below about 50°F, bees struggle to process liquid feed.
• At that point, switch to dry sugar, fondant, or candy boards if emergency feeding is needed.

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀.
• A queen excluder left on for winter can trap the queen below the cluster.
• As the bees move upward to reach stored honey, and warmth she may be left behind or they may stay with her and starve out

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
• Healthy winter bees are built in the fall.
• High mite levels now can mean weak colonies by spring.

𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀.
• Smaller entrances help defend against robbing, yellowjackets, and mice looking for a warm winter home.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀.
• Two struggling colonies rarely become two survivors.
• Sometimes combining them creates one strong colony with a much better chance of making it through winter.

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘃𝗲.
• Slightly tilt the hive forward so rain and condensation can drain out.
• Once cool weather settles in, avoid unnecessary inspections and let the bees keep their propolis seals intact.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻
Winter success isn't determined in January.

It's determined by the decisions we make in October.

The best beekeepers don't spend fall hoping their bees survive.

They spend fall giving them every reason to.

𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
What's the first thing on your October beekeeping checklist?

From our hive to yours
Sweet Stingers Honey 🐝💛
Y'all BEEKEEPING It Real

10/04/2026

A great post by Keeper of the Bees.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dp6cfkm7G/

It’s about that time.

10/01/2026

October Monthly Meeting is Thursday, October 1 at the Agricultural Building in Reidsville @ 7:00 pm. Join us as we go over "The Hive Report - How to Winter Your Bees". A great reminder for experienced beekeepers and beginners! See you there🐝

09/09/2026

Copied from another site One Queen - great information:

The easiest way to size a hive for winter is to stop counting boxes and start counting frames actually covered by bees.

I keep seeing beekeepers bragging about their winter numbers like "I just entered the winter with 50 10-frame hives 😎" only to watch them blame the genetics and harsh weather when spring comes, and casualties begin to pile up.

So, I'll try to do my best here and explain how to accurately size a hive before winter and why frame numbers are not really important in this situation.

A winter cluster survives by conserving heat as a group, and smaller colonies already spend more energy per bee on thermoregulation.

Every empty frame you leave inside a weak colony for winter can become useless space separating the bees from the food that could save them.

So, how much should you reduce your hive?

During your final autumn inspection, count only the frames that are fully covered by bees on both sides.

Keep those occupied frames together, then place 1 full honey frame directly beside each side of the cluster.

Make sure to have honey on all frames, not just the side ones.

This gives the colony a compact nest with immediately accessible food on both sides instead of scattering its reserves across empty combs.

For example, if your bees completely cover 6 frames, reduce the colony around those 6 frames and add 1 honey frame on the left and 1 on the right, giving you 8 frames in total.

Don't count a frame as occupied simply because a thin patch of bees is sitting on it.

This is really important, so pay attention.

If bees can't densely occupy the comb, that frame doesn't represent the real colony strength and should not determine the size of their winter cavity.

Let me explain why this matters.

Winter bees survive by forming a compact cluster with an insulating outer mantle, while bees inside generate heat using their flight muscles.

They are heating the cluster itself, and they are not trying to maintain high temperatures throughout the entire hive.

Unnecessary comb can stretch the food arrangement, leave reserves beyond the cluster’s reach, and make the internal space less compact than the colony requires.

Your goal is to keep them as tight as possible and with food in close vicinity.

Bees can't always leave the cluster and cross empty comb to reach honey, which is why colonies can starve while food remains elsewhere inside the hive.

That is simply brutal.

Your final arrangement should therefore contain no empty frames between the bees and their winter food, with the remaining reserves positioned beside and above the cluster whenever the hive design allows it.

The 2 outside honey frames are only the immediate food buffer, so you must still confirm that the colony has enough total stores for the length and severity of your local winter.

Don't reduce every hive to the same number of frames since every hive is a living being by itself.

Reduce each hive according to the population it actually has, because the bees covering the comb are the measurement that matters.

A winter hive should fit the colony living inside it, and not the beekeeper’s favorite box size, to be honest...

Brag with how many hives you got out of a harsh winter and not with how many you entered it :).

If you enjoyed this article, I invite you to read the first chapter of my book (You can find it in my bio 🙏)

For all the paid members who keep my lights on and my dream of making worldwide beekeeping education available for free, I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart 🧡

Happy beekeeping and full barrels 🐝🍯

09/08/2026

Remember we have limited seating to see Bob Binnie in December! Purchase your tickets now! BBQ dinner is included in your ticket price.

Join us for a BBQ dinner and an inspiring evening with the one and only, Bob Binnie!

09/01/2026

Come by this Saturday and support all of our vendors!

08/31/2026

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-bee-shack-nc-presents-an-evening-with-bob-binnie-tickets-1992016115826

Join us for a BBQ dinner and an inspiring evening with the one and only, Bob Binnie!

08/31/2026

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-bee-shack-rockingham-county-beekeepers-121445844431

R CBA is a thriving association of over 100 beekeepers. We encourage visitors to our monthly meetings to learn the basics of beekeeping and ask questions and learn about honey bees and pollinating native plants. RCBA is active in our community in teaching children and adults with classes and demons....

08/31/2026

The beekeeping world is bracing for an invasive parasitic mite that reproduces twice as fast as Varroa and moves across the comb like lightning.

The parasite is Tropilaelaps, an elongated Asian brood mite that has jumped from wild giant honeybees to European bee colonies and is currently expanding westward across Eurasia.

Does this sound familiar? :) This is exactly how Varroa started.

Let's look at the biological why behind this parasite's explosive reproduction so you can recognize why it represents an unprecedented threat to all apiaries.

While a female Varroa mite takes approximately 12 days to develop inside capped worker brood, Tropilaelaps completes its entire life cycle from egg to mature adult in just 6 to 7 days.

This lightning fast generation turnover allows Tropilaelaps populations to multiply at more than double the speed of Varroa inside active brood nests.

That's quite scary.

Peer reviewed research shows that Tropilaelaps feeds aggressively on developing larvae and pupae, causing severe physical damage and transmitting heavy loads of Deformed Wing Virus.

Naturally, European bees have not evolved natural grooming behaviors against these rapid mites, which leads to sudden brood mortality and colony absconding if left unmanaged.

There's a little bit of hope though because this aggressive parasite possesses a major Achilles heel in its feeding biology that beekeepers can exploit.

Because Tropilaelaps has tiny, flexible mouthparts, it can't pierce the hardened outer cuticle of adult bees and must rely exclusively on soft, developing brood for food.

This structural limitation means that adult Tropilaelaps mites will completely starve to death within just 1 to 3 days if they are separated from open or capped brood.

Understanding this biological flaw means that queen caging or inducing artificial broodless periods will serve as our most powerful organic defense against this parasite.

Know your enemy first and then devise ways to beat it :).

If you enjoyed this article, I invite you to read the first chapter of my book (You can find it in my bio 🙏)

Happy beekeeping and full barrels 🐝🍯

06/03/2026

Explore the vibrant world of the Rockingham County Beekeepers Association! Your website is your portal to everything beekeeping – from educational resources and sustainable practices to joining our welcoming community. Whether you're deeply experienced or just beginning to explore, our website offers valuable information and connection opportunities. Click through to learn more about our mission and how you can get involved today.