There are so many jobs to complete before Autumn comes to the apiary. Protecting the hive from wasps is foremost. It is at this time of year that the wasps are looking for a new food source, and an unprotected hive will be robbed out by wasps in a matter of days. The hive suffers and will inevitably die. Reducing the size of the entrance gives the bees less area to defend and helps them protect their hard work.
Final extractions of the honey will take place at the end of August and then the hive MUST be treated for Varroa. I personally use clever 'strips' of treatment, as they are so easy to apply and very effective.
Then it's a case of making sure they have enough food to get them through winter. Beekeepers take the honey and replace with sugar syrup for the bees to eat throughout the colder months. This may seem odd - why not leave them all the honey? The problem with honey is that, depending on what they foraged on, it can set like concrete. When it is cold, the bees cannot access this food in that state and can starve. Using inverted sugar syrup for winter means that the bees can always access food, no matter how cold. Many beekeepers also add a product to the sugar syrup which promotes bee health, so it's win win.
It's a busy time to make sure the bees are safe, treated and full of stores. Yet it's also somehow sad, knowing my weekly (sometime daily) trips to the bees will reduce over winter. Remind me of that sentence the next time I'm pouring with sweat, shaking my fists at the sky, covered in bees and wondering why I do this mad hobby!!