In Pueblo, Colorado, September is a critical transitional month where beekeepers must help colonies raise long-lived winter bees and secure enough food and protection before cold weather arrives.
1. Monitor and Treat Varroa Mites
- Test Mite Levels: Check your mite load (using an alcohol wash or sticky board). High mite numbers transmit viruses that shorten the lifespan of crucial winter bees.
- Apply Treatments: If counts exceed local thresholds (typically over 2%–3%), apply an appropriate fall Varroa treatment immediately so emerging winter bees start healthy.
2. Check Food Stores and Feed
- Evaluate Stores: Ensure your colony has heavy honey and food reserves (colonies need roughly 40 to 60 pounds of stored honey to survive a Colorado winter).
- Supplemental Feeding: If natural forage drops or stores are low, feed a 1:1 sugar-to-water solution to stimulate the queen and support brood rearing.
- Prevent Robbing: Use a top feeder or reduce hive entrances with a robber screen to keep neighbor bees or wasps from raiding the hive during a late-summer/fall dearth.
3. Protect Against Pests and Mice
- Reduce Entrances: Install entrance reducers now to deter mice looking for a warm winter home and to help guard against small hive beetles and wax moths targeting weaker colonies.
- Consolidate Space: Remove empty honey supers if the colony cannot defend the extra room, allowing them to heat and protect a tighter, more manageable space.
4. Local Pueblo Rules & Resources
- City Limits Cap: Remember that Pueblo has a maximum limit of two honeybee hives per property within city limits.
- Connect Locally: Reach out to the Pueblo County Beekeepers Association for localized mentoring, fall workshops, or troubleshooting support.
Here is a helpful video breaking down essential September beekeeping tasks and how to prepare your colonies for the cold months ahead:
11:23 – Beekeeping Tips For The Month Of September | Don’t Let …
13K views · 2 years ago 
YouTube · David Burns
YouTube · David Burns