Creating a honey bee management plan is crucial to successful beekeeping. This plan is developed for the Columbia Gorge Region (northern Oregon – Southern Washington). The region spans from Portland Oregon east to Goldendale Washington. The geography shifts from a moist coastal climate to desert like.
The goal of the plan is to anticipate the chemical needs, purchasing ahead in case treatment is required. Just as importantly, is the other issues to include nutrition, what foliage is in bloom offering nectar and/or pollen.
A significant resource is the Honey Bee Health Coalition
Seasonal Colony Management by month:
Seasonal Colony Management by month:
January – (Coldest, averages around 39.6°F high, 27.7°F low, with significant snowfall (avg. 10-14.6 in.)). A view of the Auburn Winter Capped Honey Bee Brood Monitoring Program relates for the 2024-2025 Season the week of October 24 a significant amount of brood, November 7th brood has begun to diminish, November 21st appears to be steady from the 7th, but December 5th through February 13th no brood. Brood was found the week of February 27th. Based on this research an application of Oxalic Acid Vapor will be applied the first week of December, last week of December and middle of January 2026. Attention to stores by checking the HiveAlive Pollen Patties placed earlier on the upper box frames, adding an additional patty if necessary. The hive entrance will be inspected to clear any dead bees preventing egress by the bees. Lifting the hive from the back and bottom board to assess hive weight which relates to honey stores vital to cluster viability. Adding contact information to the Oregon State Beekeepers Swarm and Cutout lists. Adding contact information to the Columbia Gorge Beekeepers Association (local to Columbia Gorge region).
February – (Still cold, but temperatures start to slowly rise. Typically, there is one week in February that witnesses sun and voiding flight weather.) The queen begins to replace the winter bee population in January and February. This becomes a period of Population Increase. Winter conditions remain with potential snow, cold temperatures, high winds and moisture. Inspecting the exterior of all hives to ensure none have issues with covers or toppling. Cleaning out dead bees from the hive entrance. Lifting the top cover to view the HiveAlive Pollen Patty for the purpose of adding an additional if necessary.
March – (Warming up, highs around 53°F, lows 34°F, with decreasing snow/rain.) Weather is not conducive to and internal hive inspection as the girls remain in a cluster formation. Any removal of frames would ‘break’ the cluster seriously affecting the key role of protecting the queen. As in February, inspecting the hive cover to ensure it is firmly in place, removing any dead bees from the entrance and viewing the HiveAlive Fondant Patty ascertaining if a new one is necessary. Columbia Kittentail blooms near the abundant waterfalls throughout the region.
April – (Significantly warmer, highs ~61°F, lows ~39°F, less rain). April finds a sporadic weather pattern vacillating from high winds, rain, and dips in temperature one day to blue skies with temperatures above 60º offering foraging opportunities. Balsamroot and Lupine come into their bloom In April and May. Toward the end of April the hive maybe opened for an inspection of the brood area, nutrition and Varroa infestation. There are Bigleaf and Vine Maples trees which offer an abundance of nectar in April and May. A view of temperatures dictates the timing of the inspection following three days of temperatures above 60º. An application of Apivar Strips as recommended by the Honey Bee Health Coalition. The Strips are not temperature dependent but must be removed two weeks prior to the nectar flow, which is late May or early June. Along with the Apivar Strips pouches of Norroa will be installed to render Foundress Mites infertile. April may find larvae with tinges of yellow indicative of European Foulbrood. The precipitating factor for this condition is the poor nutrition coming out of winter along with the frustration of foragers due to weather challenges. Adding sugar syrup, pollen patties or HiveAlive offers relief.
May – (Mild, temperatures continue to rise, rainfall decreases. The sporadic weather pattern continues with days of sun interspersed with wind and rain.) Inspections on good weather days should include an assessment of brood (open and capped), nutritional support on brood frames and an eye to Royal Jelly in larval cells. An indication that additional nutritional support may be required. Are there any ‘pin hole’ cappings indicative of mites? Remove the Apivar Strips two weeks prior to nectar flow. Attention to the Portland nectar season as our region is about two weeks behind Portland. This becomes a great period to perform splits. Hive inspections should include observation of open brood for evidence of queen activity, potential swarms, and nutrition. Howell’s Daisy and Long-Beard Hawkweed are found near Multnomah Falls and higher elevation spots.
June – (Sunny, pleasant, average highs rise, rainfall drops.) June finds the population at its peak. June is a time for the nectar flow. West of the Cascade Mountains the dominate nectar is from blackberries. East of the Cascades a desert like climate is seen. This geographic area is afforded waves of plants coming into bloom offering nectar and pollen from April through September. Attention to the brood frames for potentially becoming honey bound. Adding frame with wax comb or foundation using the Checkerboard method opens the brood space in support of the queen. Careful monitoring of Varroa destructor mites is imperative. Application of Formic Pro late June may be necessary.
July – (Hottest month, highs around 82°F, sunny with minimal rain, very windy (great for kitesurfing/windsurfing)). July is the beginning of population decline. The month of July frustrates any opportunity for Varroa treatments. Should the Apivar Strips coupled with Norroa not dampen the mite loads, colonies will witness heavy infestation above ten percent. This is also a period of population decline, commensurate with increasing vectoring of viruses via the mite.
August – (Similar to July, warm and sunny, peak of summer activities.) For the Columbia Gorge region August finds a lack of foliage offering nectar and pollen. Observation of brood frames and hive weights is prudent. Is there Royal Jelly in the brood cells of larvae? Is there a band of nectar/honey surrounding the brood? Is there a band of pollen between the nectar/honey and brood?
September – (Warm, sunny, a transition month before cooler weather sets in.) A critical month that may find colonies crashing from Varroa and its viral impacts. A second addition of Norroa along with Formic Pro (as advised by Honey Bee Health Coalition) with a view to the temperatures. Formic Pro may be used if temperatures are below 85º during the initial four to five days of treatment.
October – (Rapid increase in rainfall, cooler temps, autumn colors.) A serious review of the overall colony weight should be the focus. The girls have gathered all the available nectar to afford them winter support. Should the hive weight not be one-hundred twenty pounds, aggressive addition of nutrition must be implemented (e.g. HiveAlive Fondant Patty).
November – (Getting cold, first significant snow usually arrives (around Nov 9th).) Removing any liquid nourishment to replace it with dry sugar on newspaper placed on the upper box frames, or a HiveAlive Fondant Patty as insurance against the colony cluster running out of stores. An assessment of the hive weight should be undertaken to discover if the overall weight is one-hundred twenty pounds sufficient to support the colony through the winter months. Placing a burlap sack or other absorbent material for the excess moisture during winter months is necessary. An application of Oxalic Acid Vapor may be applied late November.
December – (Coldest month, average low ~28-30°F, high ~39°F, wettest with ~7.7 inches of rain/snow.) This is a time where the region may be beset with heavy snow. An eye to hive weight is necessary, adding dry sugar or HiveAlive Fondant Patty as necessary. Two applications of Oxalic Acid Vapor may be applied the beginning of December and the end of December to mitigate the overwintered mite population toward a near zero mite presence come January / February as the queen restarts her egg laying in the Population Increase phase. This becomes a great month to take a deep dive into the year toward management practices that proved positive and those that require improvement.