July

Summer may be just beginning but this month we'll start thinking about preparing our bees for winter. You or your neighbors have probably noticed a few workers trying to cool off in the pool (for some reason they LOVE pool water) and at night time they might start to form a beard on the outside of the hive. Overwintered hives will be at full strength and new hives will have exploded in size.

New Hives:

• Inspect the hive weekly or bimonthly, looking for the Queen and eggs.

• Continuously feed 1:1 sugar syrup (Add lemongrass oil, Honey-B-Healthy, etc.).

• If you haven't already, add a second deep body once the first 8 frames have been drawn with comb.

Overwintered Hives:

• As the nectar flow winds down, pull the supers from your hive(s), ensuring you don't remove ALL the honey. Leave a super on strong hives.

• Check the hive weight.

• Harvest and ENJOY one of nature's miracles, and don't forget to share with your friends and family!