- As the summer continues, keep a close eye on food stores to ensure your hive maintains at least a 30lb surplus. Also maintain a water source, and remove mite treatment when needed.
- Typically, pollen patties/substitute are not needed during the summer, as there are some flower blooming. However, during especially hot dry summers, the conditions can kill the majority of blooming plants, or at least cause them to stop producing large amounts of pollen. In these cases, giving your hive a few pounds of pollen patties each month can be an excellent way to keep the queen laying, and maintain your hive strength. Often times a dwindling hive over the summer can be the result of insufficient protein.
- As you feed your hive syrup, adding Super DFM or an essential oil mix like Pro Health can also help give your hive the extra nutrition they need to thrive during the summer. Anything you can give your bees over the next few months to help them thrive should be used.
- Bee flight will be minimal during the heat of the day. Most activity will occur early in the morning, and late in the day. A beard of bees hanging outside the entrance, especially in the evening, is normal this time of year. If your hive is especially strong, giving them a total of 3 boxes rather than 2 is advised.
