This document provides a monthly overview of typical activities for beekeepers from January through December. Key activities include ensuring the bees have adequate food and space, monitoring and managing varroa mites, checking hives for queen cells or swarming, increasing hive space as needed, and harvesting honey. Educational activities and preparing equipment and hives for winter are also covered in the November and December summaries.

1. WHAT IS CURRENTLY
HAPPENING IN THE BEEHOUSE?
By Zala H. & Larisa B.
OŠ Slivnica pri Celju, Slovenia
2015/2016

2. JANUARY
• ensuring peace in the
beehouse and around it
• removing the snow
• preparing and arranging
beekeeping equipment
• supplying new beehives and
comb foundations
• educating ourselves

10. FEBRUARY
• observing bees during the
cleansing flight
• giving honeycomb to the
honeybee colonies with no
food
• cleaning bottom boards and
varroa floors with an insert
• arranging a drinking place
• removing the snow
• ensuring peace in the
beehouse and around it

11. MARCH
• providing a drinking place
• checking the brood and food
supplies
• adapting the size of the room
to the honeybee colony
• preparing comb foundations
• growing bee plants

15. APRIL
• checking and – if necessary –
improving food supplies
• adapting the size of the room to the
honeybee colony
• adding comb foundations and the
cornerstone to seize building instinct
• checking if there are queen cells as
well as a swarming fever in the hive
• collecting pollen
• writing applications for forage area
• obtaining documents for transport

17. MAY
● increasing the space for the brood
and honey
● checking if there are queen cells as
well as a swarming fever in the hive
● cutting out drone combs
● monitoring the natural waste of
varroa mites
● queen and spare bee colony
breeding
● if necessary extracting the honey
● bringing bee colonies to the pasture

19. JUNE
• increasing the space for the brood and honey
• checking if there are queen cells as well as a
swarming fever in the hive
• cutting out drone combs
• monitoring the natural waste of varroa mites
• queen and spare bee colony breeding
• extracting honey
• using summer pastures
• making shaken swarms

27. JULY
● using summer pastures
● extracting honey
● following vets’ instructions to
manage varroa mites
● monitoring varroa mite decline
● supplying bees with water
● arranging a nest for winter
● after the end of grazing feeding
the bees substantially
● replacing queen bees

28. AUGUST
• feeding the bees for the winter
• supplying bees with water
• providing a rejuvenating pasture
• preventing looting
• monitoring the natural waste of
varroa mites

29. SEPTEMBER
• supplying bees with water
• checking the brood and
estimating the food supplies
• arranging a nest for winter
• finishing feeding the bees
• protecting spare combs
against wax moths
• preventing looting
• monitoring the natural waste
of varroa mites

30. OCTOBER
● protecting spare combs against
wax moths
● preventing looting
● checking the invasion of varroa
mites
● planting bee plants
● cleaning and disinfecting the
places and equipment
● arranging the interior and the
surroundings of the beehouse

31. NOVEMBER
• checking and sorting the combs
• cooking waste beeswax
• preparing and selling honey products
• educating ourselves
• ensuring peace in the beehouse and around it
• following vets’ instructions to manage varroa
mites
• monitoring varroa mite decline

35. DECEMBER
● trading and enjoying the fruits of our
labour
● suppressing varroa mites and caring
for the hives
● planning the future of the beekeeping
season
● educating ourselves
● enjoying a well deserved winter’s rest

39. RESOURCES
• Čebelarski koledar. 2015. Ljubljana: Čebelarska zveza Slovenije.
• Čebelarski terminološki slovar. 2008. Ljudmila Bokal (ur.). Ljubljana:
Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU.