The population of the hive should start to peak near the
end of the month provided they are a strong hive. Some
colonies this year have struggled to boost numbers and
this may be due to the late packages and the bad weather
in California. Some queens may not have been mated well
and it is best to combine weak colonies to ensure winter
survival.
All hives should be taking advantage of the nectar flows
happening this month (and going forward) and nectar
flows are indicated by the following: fresh white wax on
comb and top bars, bees are easy to work, foundation is
drawn out quickly, bees fanning at the entrance, large
amounts of nectar ripening in the cells of honey supers.
With luck, you may be able to harvest an early crop! |
Continue to watch your hives for late swarms; although
most swarming behavior stops in late June, some hives
may swarm late. Swarms that appear in July are, as the
adage goes, "not worth a fly" as they may not have the
time to build up enough strength and stores to survive the
winter.
Keep an open eye for robbing wasps, hornets and other
honey bees. During the summer there may be dearths
periods of no nectar flow) that cause other honey bees to
look for week hives to rob. A strong colony can usually
repel invasion by wasps and hornets but watch for signs
of struggle, locate the offending nest and destroy it.
Make sure your hives have some shade or access to easy
water so that they can cool the hive effectively. Too much
heat can cause the bees to spend more time cooling the
hive than gathering nectar to make honey. Add supers as
needed to alleviate crowding and to encourage the bees to
store more honey than they need.
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