Things are winding down in Georgia apiculture, but there are some crucially important tasks remaining. Foremost is varroa mite treatment. The beekeeper should treat for varroa with ApistanJ or CheckMiteJ once it is possible to retrieve 60-180 mites on an overnight sticky sheet test. This usually happens during the August-October window. Delay treatment until this threshold is reached. There are several management practices that collectively can delay the onset of treatment thresholds and reduce chemical use in mite management. Other late summer/early autumn tasks are Terramycin treatment, feeding (with 2 : 1 syrup) if necessary, and rectifying any queen problems present in the apiary. Weak colonies should be combined by killing the weaker of the two queens and stacking hives on each other with a slit newspaper between. Stored equipment can be protected against wax moths by fumigating with paradichlorobenzene crystals or stacking honey supers in a criss-cross fashion in open sheds. The penetrating air and daylight discourage colonization by moths. Some beekeepers store supers in enclosed barns with a lighted bug-zapper running constantly to kill emerging adult moths. This practice can eventually eradicate moths from the room.

Synopsis of Bee Management / UGA Honey Bee Program / UGA Entomology Department