Keeping Bees
in Central Oregon

Due to a long winter and a very limited season of native forage, keeping bees in Central Oregon can bee a challenge.

We all know the importance of supporting our native pollinators through the care of native flora. If you want to get into keeping bees, we would first encourage you to support existing native pollinators by planting and tending a pollinator garden. Give extra consideration for flora that blossoms in May or October to help pollinators enter/exit our long, cold “off-season”.

Once you have done your part to increase habitat for pollinators, the keeping of honey bees is a wonderful way to play a roll in local pollination, and maybe even get some honey!

All that follows is imperfect advice to get you started on the journey.

You can do everything right, and the bees still die…

You can do everything wrong, and the bees still survive…

Do your best to care for the bees, and enjoy the journey!

Necessary Equipment:

The rabbit hole is deep when looking into possible beekeeping equipment. You can make your beekeeping as simple or complex as you’d like. Here is a minimum/basic list of items you will need for keeping bees in Central Oregon:

  • Beekeeping Suit (don’t be a hero… unless you do A LOT of study…)

  • Hive Tool (get one with a “frame lifter”)

  • Mite Test Kit (we prefer the sugar roll method)

  • Mite Treatments (decide on your strategy HERE)

  • Feed (pollen patties, simple syrup, fondant)

  • Smoker (BEE CAREFUL! Central Oregon is VERY flammable!)

  • Epinephrin and/or Benadryl (consult your doctor; even if you do not think you are currently allergic to stings, you can still develop a serious allergy over time)

  • Notebook (to take fastidious notes on every hive, every time!)

Langstroth Hives

The Langstroth Hive is the most popular option for keeping bees, and the method employed by most professional beekeepers. Your first choice is whether to use 8 or 10 frame equipment (we use 10 frame at the ranch). Here are the minimum/basic components of the Langstroth Hive, listed from the bottom to the top of the complete hive:

  • Stand (to get the hives at least 1-2 feet off the ground)

  • Bottom Board with Entrance Reducer

  • Deep (9 5/8’) Hive Body with 8 or 10 Frames (Brood Box)

  • Internal Frame Feeder

  • Queen Excluder (our are made of metal)

  • Medium (6 5/8'“) Honey Super(s) with 8 or 10 Frames

  • Inner Cover

  • Telescoping Lid

  • Brick, Rock, and/or Strap (to hold down lid in our strong winds)

Spring:

It begins here!

  • Order bees from a local beekeeper by March. Nucs are your best option, because they come with comb.

  • Install your bees into your Deep Hive Body (DHB) when they arrive in late May or early June. Place the frames into the center of the DHB and surround with empty frames. Install your Internal Frame Feeder (IFF) on the far side of the DHB and fill with 1:1 simple syrup.

  • Refill your IFF every week or two for the entire first season, as they will be building lots of comb.

  • In subsequent seasons (when you already have drawn out frames of comb) you will only feed your existing hives until flora starts blooming (usually by early June).

  • Check for mites every 30 days (we do it every 28 days because we are on a 14 day schedule… decide on your strategy HERE).

Early Summer:

This is where most of the work/joy resides!

  • Do not open your hives more than once every 10-14 days, and for no more than 15-20 minutes at a time.

  • We check our hives every 14 days for eggs and to ensure they still have enough room. If you see eggs and maybe some capped brood, you can be relatively confident you have a laying queen, so close the hive back up and leave them alone.

  • Continue checking for mites every 30 days.

  • Add a Queen Excluder and Medium Honey Super (MHS) when the bees have drawn out and filled roughly 80% of the DHB. Add subsequent MHSs every time the top box is roughly 80% full.

  • You will not be harvesting honey your first season as the bees drawn out comb, so continue to feed them 1:1 simple syrup all summer. Transition to 2:1 simple syrup around August 1st.

  • If it is going to be over 100F for multiple days, make sure you remove any Entrance Reducers and consider venting the top of your hive.

Late Summer/Fall:

Honey time?!

  • If this is not your first season with the bees, it’s time to harvest honey! We prefer to harvest around August 15th. (If this is your first season, you will not be harvesting honey because the bees will have used most of their nectar to build comb on the new frames. Take off the MHS and freeze all the frames for use as future feed. They are mostly simple syrup honey and not delicious anyway.)

  • On honey harvest day, we normally do a few things all at the same time:

    • Remove all MHSs and the Queen Excluder

    • Ensure the queen is present and that the DHB frames are mostly filled with brood, nectar/honey, and pollen

    • Treat for mites

  • When the mite treatment is over, remove the treatment and start feeding 2:1 simple syrup. For us, this is usually around September 1st. Feed until you see daytime highs dropping below around 50-55F, then remove feeder and ensure the hive is filled with full frames. Your hive should weigh roughly 100lbs per DHB.

  • Check once more for mites around October 1st, and treat once more if necessary.

Winter:

Relax!

The season is over! Now the bees are just staying warm in their hives and eating all their well-earned honey stores. Don’t disturb them. Just make sure you keep their entrance clear in case of snow, and leave them bee. If you want to check on them, you can use a stethoscope to listen to them buzzing inside the hive.

You might want to QUICKLY check to make sure they have enough food during a WARM day in January/February. You can check them without opening the hive by lifting the back to see how much it weighs. Remember, it should have started around 100lbs… If you need to feed them, lay a large fondant patty right on top of the frames, and close it back up. Come back on the next WARM day and see how much they have eaten. If a lot has been eaten within a few days, continue feeding them until early June.

Over the winter, you might notice more dead bees in front of the hive. This is normal. In warm weather, they fly their dead farther away, but in the winter they just push them out the door and run back inside to have another warm glass of honey.

Final Thoughts

Before the bees arrive at your home, please take the time necessary to make sure you understand the following things:

  • Treating your bees for mites (they WILL die if you do not, and they WILL infect other hives in your area)

  • SAFELY handling tens of thousands of bees (they don’t WANT to hurt you, but they might…)

  • What weather combinations are OK for opening up your hive (no wind, no rain, warm, etc)

  • Decide if you want to do SINGLE or DOUBLE brood box beekeeping (we do single, but most do double)

  • Recognizing what’s in a cell (egg, larva, capped brood, nectar, capped honey, pollen, etc)

  • Recognizing SERIOUS issues, such as Foulbrood

  • If you are going to harvest your own honey, research all necessary steps and equipment

Consider joining the local Central Oregon Beekeepers Association (COBKA) for community and support!

Please email us if you are in Central Oregon and notice any glaring omissions and/or mistakes on this page. Thanks, and enjoy the journey!