The days are getting shorter, and the mornings are crisp. While the summer rush is over, we aren’t slowing down at Barben Bees. We are shifting our focus to Preparation.

Many beekeepers in South Africa think autumn is just about closing up shop. But if you want to expand your apiary next season and ensure sustainable bees, the work starts right now.

In May, the Cape climate moves towards more consistent rain and dropping temperatures. We can leverage these transitional weeks to position our equipment perfectly and protect the hard-earned raw honey stores.

We often start putting catch boxes out in May. Why now?

In the heat of summer, the African sun can be brutal on catch boxes. The biggest concern is the wax starter strip inside the box melting away before a swarm even finds it. But now, as the UV index drops, that threat is gone.

By placing your catch boxes out now, you ensure they are ready for the late autumn swarms or the early spring movers without worrying about your equipment melting.

As the temperature drops in Cape Town, we need to be vigilant about pests.

Wax moth is a major threat at this time of year. If you have stored supers from the summer honey-extraction or weak colonies, wax moths can lay eggs that turn into larvae (worms) which decimate the honeycomb.

Don’t leave bits of comb lying around, or you will be running a worm farm, not a bee farm. Process your cappings immediately and ensure any stored equipment is sealed and treated to prevent destruction.

We know that come July, we will need to do some heavy lifting—replacing those old, clogged brood frames. We like to think of this as the hive’s “oil filter” change.

May is for getting ready. We need to have deep supers with full sheets of beeswax foundation ready to add to our colonies as soon as we can in early July. Use these cooler days to wire frames and embed wax so you aren’t scrambling when the spring build-up begins.

Winter in the Cape means mud. Roads get washed away, and tracks turn into waterways.

Now is the time to check your apiary sites before the heavy rains start. Can you get in without a 4×4? Is the vegetation cut back so it doesn’t cause dampness against the hives? Knowing what is on your sites and what tools you need prevents major headaches down the road.