What's the Buzz around Woodland Creek honey farm??

Beekeeping in JULY at Woodland Creek Honey Farm

July is a pivotal month in the beekeeping calendar here in our apiaries. Colonies are near their peak population and productivity, but this also marks a turning point in our seasonal cycle. Our focus is now starting to shift from the spring buildup to summer management and even early preparations for fall and winter. Understanding honeybee biology during this time helps guide our critical tasks.

Colony Biology in July

Worker bee populations are typically at their highest in early to mid-July. The queen’s egg-laying rate may begin to decline slightly by late July, especially if forage becomes scarce or temperatures are extreme. Fortunately, we enjoy mild summers here in the PNW. While brood rearing starts to taper off in some other regions, signaling the colony’s instinctive shift toward winter preparation, our queens are laying, and brood nests are continuing to grow. 

Even though drones are still present, their eviction may begin by month’s end in some hives elsewhere, especially in resource-limited areas. We typically don’t see that happening here until August.

Nectar flows from clover, alfalfa, fireweed, and other mid-summer sources are active in many agricultural areas, depending on region and rainfall. But for us, most of the berries and fruit nectar is coming to an end. Our bees will experience a nectar death that we need to be aware of and feed if necessary. In hotter, drier zones or during drought, nectar dearth can set in, creating a period of stress for colonies. This can lead to robbing behavior between hives, increased susceptibility to pests, and declining brood viability.

So this month we are;

Checking for Honey Ripening:

Supers may be full and ready for extraction, especially with the strong nectar flows in June. We use a refractometer to check moisture content (ideally <14%) before extracting. We want to avoid taking honey too early before the bees dry it as uncured nectar can ferment in storage. Typically, we harvest in late August or early September.

Monitoring for Mites:

July is the critical time for us to monitor for Varroa destructor. We use alcohol wash to measure mite infestation levels. If our mite levels exceed 2–3% per colony, we will treat them immediately to avoid colony collapse in late summer or fall.

Providing Water and Ventilation:

Bees need large amounts of water for cooling the colony and in their honey production. Fortunately, all of our apiaries have access to either a creek, pond or lake, that provide consistent a consistent water supply. Even though bees are masters at thermoregulation, on occasion we will prop open inner covers or provide ventilation to reduce hive overheating and moisture buildup.

Managing Space and Reducing Swarming Potential:

While the prime swarming season has passed, crowded hives in July can still swarm or develop supersedure impulses. We check for adequate brood nest space and remove excess queen cells if necessary. Often, we will move queen cells into a queen castle, to raise some late season queens.

Feeding if Needed:

When dearth or declining forage does come, we monitor the weight of our colonies and feed 1:1 syrup to maintain brood production and keep the colony strong. We don’t feed while honey supers are on, so our honey is never tainted or “funny honey.”

Watching for Pest and Potential Disease:

We keep an eye on our smaller colonies, looking for signs of wax moths, small hive beetles, and brood diseases like chalkbrood or European foulbrood. Strong colonies are always our best defense, and weak or queenless hives need our immediate intervention.

Requeening if Necessary:

July is almost getting close to being too late to requeen failing queens. We know that young queens lay more vigorously and overwinter better. However, requeening in July can be more challenging, so we have to be careful about how and when we requeen when it is necessary.

Combining Weak Colonies:

When a colony becomes queenless or is very small, sometimes the best move for us is to combine it with a stronger healthy colony. There are several methods we use to do this, but our goal is not let colonies get to a point where they need to be combined with another.

Collecting Pollen:

As long as the honey supers are on the colonies, we collect pollen. Some we feed back to the bees over winter in pollen patties. Some we collect to sell to our customers to help with their seasonal allergies. We use a pollen trap that is intentionally inefficient so we do not collect too much pollen, as it is the emerging bees source of protein.

Beekeeping in July, like most of the year, is about observation, prevention, and strategic action. It has been said that all beekeeping is problem solving. The decisions we make now set the stage for a successful fall honey harvest and healthy overwintering colonies.

We are also continuing our commitment to helping provide clean drinking water to impoverished people who do not have access to it. We do this by giving 40% of all our sales to Living Water International. When you buy any of our products; honey, chunk honey, honeycomb, pollen, or lip balm, nearly half of what you spend goes to help out those in need. THANK YOU!