Backyard Beekeeping & Honey Production

Notes from the Hive, Written for Canadian Beekeepers

Seasonal hive checks, varroa management, and harvest timing — drawn from hands-on experience with small apiaries across Ontario and beyond.

Hive Management Guide About This Resource

Recent Articles

What's in the Apiary Right Now

The Spring Inspection: What to Look For in April and May

After a Canadian winter, the first full inspection reveals a lot — cluster size, brood pattern, queen presence, and early pest pressure. Missing the signs in April means catching up under pressure in June.

Read the full hive management guide

Topic Overview

Three Areas Worth Understanding Early

Queen Rearing Basics

Knowing how to identify a laying queen, spot supersedure cells, and time a split correctly keeps hive continuity through the active season.

Varroa Mite Thresholds

The standard Canadian threshold for treatment is roughly 2–3 mites per 100 adult bees during the brood season. Counts above that level call for prompt action.

Harvest Timing

Pulling honey too early risks fermentation. Most beekeepers in central Canada wait until 80% of the frames in a super are capped before extracting.

Bee Populations

Why Colony Numbers Drop in Winter — and What That Tells You

A colony that overwinters in Canada typically contracts to 10,000–15,000 bees clustered around the queen. Coming out of winter with fewer than 8,000 bees is a warning sign that the colony may not build fast enough for a productive spring flow.

Regular fall assessments — food stores, mite load, queen condition — are the main variable a beekeeper actually controls heading into October.

Read the seasonal guide
Dense cluster of honey bees on comb

Oxalic Acid and Formic Acid: The Two Treatments Most Commonly Used in Canada

Both are registered in Canada for varroa control and have different application windows. Oxalic acid is most effective in broodless colonies in late autumn or early spring. Formic acid works during the brood season but has temperature constraints that matter in a Canadian climate.

Read the varroa control article

Contact

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Meadow Craft Works
247 Beechwood Ave, Ottawa, ON K1L 8B1
Phone: +1 (613) 555-0184
Email: info@meadowcraftworks.org

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Seasonal Hive Management Varroa Mite Control Honey Extraction