GeorgiaWes · Georgia, US · Beginners · Aug 24, 2026

What I do before the equinox — a 22-year September task list, argue with it if you like

Every year the forum fills up with 'is it too late to X' threads in October, so here's my pre-equinox list from north Georgia, 22 seasons in. Adjust timing north or south of me. 1. Mite wash EVERY hive, treated or not. Numbers, not vibes. 2. Combine or shake out anything that can't cover 4–5 frames of bees. Take your losses in the fall. 3. Heft or weigh, start 2:1 syrup on anything light. Feeding in September is easy; feeding in November is an emergency. 4. Entrance reducers on as robbing pressure builds, mouse guards before first cold nights. 5. Queen excluders OFF. 6. Cull the two ugliest brood combs per hive while boxes are still being rearranged. 7. Write down which queens you'd requeen next spring while you still remember why. What's on your list that isn't on mine?

#fall-prep#checklist#winter-prep#feeding

▲ 12 votes 💬 5 replies

5 replies

muglabalci · Aug 24, 2026

Good list. From Muğla I'd add: water. Our September is still hot and dry, and colonies hauling water for cooling instead of working the late pine flow are wasting bees. Also, item 2 is the one beginners skip and regret. Fifteen years of watching it happen.

mn_newbee · Aug 25, 2026

First year in Minnesota here — for point 3, how do you decide what counts as 'light'? Is there a target weight I should be aiming at, or is it all feel? I have exactly one season of hefting experience which is to say none.

GeorgiaWes · Aug 25, 2026

mn_newbee — it's regional. In Minnesota you want something like 130+ lbs total for a double deep, so ask your local club for their number, then use a luggage scale (there's a whole thread on the math somewhere). My Georgia target is a lot lower than yours will be.

AlpineCarnica · Aug 25, 2026

Solid. In Tyrol my equinox jobs also include strapping every hive for foehn storms and getting insulation sorted early — winter arrives here on its own schedule, not the calendar's. And I would put your item 1 in bold twice.

BethsBees · Aug 26, 2026

Saving this. Adding one from my second-year mistakes file: check that inner covers and lids actually fit flat BEFORE it's cold. I discovered a warped inner cover in December last year and it was a miserable fix in the snow.

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What I do before the equinox — a 22-year September task list, argue with it if you like

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