January 2026

in your Central Oregon Apiary

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wow, I’m not sure whether Winter has arrived or not, although the bees are a bit smarter and are bundling up.

This month there isn’t much you need to do for your bees. It’s a good time for an oxalic acid mite treatment without capped brood.  If there’s a warmer stretch (high 40s/low 50s) think about vaporization, if colder think about dribble.  If any of your colonies went into the Winter light (or by hefting one end of the hive it seems suspiciously light), consider emergency feeding.  Remember this time of year, it should only consist of saved honey frames or solid/dry sugar creations (fondant or sugar cake) placed either around the cluster or in the top of the box where the humidity will allow the bees to take it in.  Those hive covers should be checked that they are in proper order.

If you are thinking about replacing a dead out, or increasing the number of colonies, this month would be an excellent time to do some research (our list of local and regional suppliers on the web site is an excellent resource) and if possible, make a reservation with a producer or seller.

The main thing I plan on doing in January, is to look at the debrief I put together in December and decide on a plan of action for the 2026 season.  If things went perfectly last year (is that ever the case?) then you might not need to change anything.  However if you decided that certain aspects of your beekeeping style weren’t effective, or efficient, figure out what you’re going to do about it (didn’t harvest until mid-September, couldn’t figure out a good mite treatment for early June, that one colony swarmed again, that other colony seemed to take forever to come up to summer strength, boy I sure paid a lot for that queen.)  Other than brainstorming, other sources could include other trusted beekeepers, university and extension experts, books, scientific articles and (with lots of salt and filtering) selected VLOGers.  Finally, it might be a good idea to set a goal or two.  (This year I will raise 2 queens, this year I will keep my mites at or below 1%, this year I will keep my losses below 20%)

Additionally, in January it can be a good time to read some of the articles you’ve either scanned, or just heard about.  If you don’t have a particular journal, someone that you know will.  I generally try to test one proposed change each year.

Wishing you a good winter and a great 2026 season.

Allen Engle