Hives Moving into October

 Most beekeepers have extracted their honey and are feeding their bees if it is needed.
 The bees should be removing drones from the hive. Drones are not welcome in the hive over winter and will be replaced usually starting in late April or early May. Drones are produced when large amounts of natural pollen are available.
 Entrance reducers should be installed right now. Mice will start moving into hives with the cooler weather. The mice are looking for a nice place to ravage and an unprotected hive entrance is the perfect place to start. The entrance reducer should be at the widest opening.
 There has been some light frost in the east metro. Here north of Stillwater I have had frost the last two nights.
 Pollen is still available in small quantities at the moment. The first hard freeze will end the pollen availability, but the bees are still taking advantage of what is available.
 Brood rearing should be slowing down. Right now, Carniolan colonies may be broodless. Carniolans usually shut down brood rearing early. Oxalic Acid mite treatment will work well right now on a Carniolan colony.
 Italians will still have some brood for a little while yet.
If a hive is fed sugar syrup, plan on having brood in the hive for 30 days after feeding has stopped.
  Temperatures are forecast to be above normal for the next three months. This may be a good sign to help the over wintering in the states of MN and WI.