I spent some time yesterday reading my "Beekeeping Bible", and got a bit nervous, reading the bit that says bees are at their most tetchy at the end of August and beginning of September, when there are so many of them (around 50,000) and so much of their honey in store, making them aggressively protective as winter comes on.

I popped my head into the Super yesterday afternoon, when the bees were at their busiest. There is no honey in there, so I guess my devious ploy - sweetening the foundation - didn't work. I don't think there will be any honey at all now this year. I'm sad, I guess, but I've known all the way through this summer that this was the most likely scenario.

My mentors at my Beekeeping Association have been inspiring, and clearly hoping I'd have something to show at the Enfield Town Autumn Show - where we will have a Honey Competition. I don't mind; I really don't mind. It will be the first time I see what happens at a Honey Show and I'd much rather observe and learn, than rush in, in my usual bull-in-a-china-shop fashion. I'm also overdue to offer my volunteering services; and really keen to help with "manning the stand" so I can watch all the fun of the fair, see the horticultural tent, and participate in all the delightful pursuits of a local Town & Country Show. I love the thought! I really hope the buddies I've asked to come along will be there too ...

Once I'd seen the empty Super yesterday, I looked down at the hive and slowly processed my thoughts through the alternatives. The book had said it would be best to proceed in the evening, when all the bees are restfully tucked up in the hive. A suggestion was to move the one frame that the bees have ignored so far; mingling it further into the depths of the other frames to stimulate activity on it. Gazing down on the hive, I realised discretion would probably serve as the better part of valour; best to pack up and re-visit the hive in the evening. Of course, after the haze of the Festival, I fell asleep on the couch and missed that particular appointment!

When I go down to the hive this evening, I should consider doing the following things:

• Open up the Brood Box to see if they have enough space and have started using the unused Frame 1.
  
  
• If not, think about putting Frame 1 somewhere else in the Brood Box to encourage the bees to draw out the foundation and start loading it with winter supplies.
  
  
• If the Brood Box appears over-loaded, consider keeping the Super on and removing the Queen Excluder, so that they can go to Brood-and-a-Half. Although I'm wondering if it's already a bit too late in the season for that. Depends on how September looks - if it's warm, it may still not be too late for that.

The one thing I did manage to achieve yesterday, was to "Sticky-Up" another Varroa Inspection Board, and slide it into place under the hive. I am keen to see how resilient the bees are keeping ...