August Beekeeping Tips - 2024

1. As the summer continues, keep a close eye on food stores to ensure your hive maintains at least a thirty-pound surplus. Also, maintain a water source and remove mite treatment when suggested by the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Typically, pollen substitutes aren’t needed during the summer, as there are some flowers 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. Oftentimes a dwindling hive over the summer can be the result of insufficient protein.
3. As you feed your hive syrup, adding an essential oil mix like Complete can 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.
4. 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 three boxes rather than two is advised. See “Adding Extra Boxes for Summer Cooling.”

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