Surviving the Summer Dearth: What Your Bees Need Now

August. Just saying the word makes you sweat! Now picture yourself zipped into a bee suit, standing over a hive full of hot, irritable bees. Why are they irritable? Because their grocery store is empty.

Right now, many regions are deep in dearth—a time when nectar and pollen sources are scarce. Even if your landscape looks green and lush, the blooms that matter to bees may be long gone. And without food, colonies struggle.

How to Spot Dearth in Your Apiary

• Hives sound louder than usual, even when undisturbed.
• Bees act agitated during inspections.
• Robbing signs appear—bees fighting at the entrance or clustering around box seams, and weak colonies collapsing under pressure.
• Foragers seem restless, flying aimlessly to search for forage that isn’t there.

What you're seeing are hungry bees.

What to Do Right Now

1.      Check the pantry.
Do your bees have at least 30 pounds of honey in the top hive box (roughly three deep frames)? If not, feed them.
Use a 1:1 sugar syrup enhanced with supplements like Complete Bee or Apis Biologix to provide essential amino acids and micronutrients.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

2.      Don’t forget pollen.
Nectar isn’t the only resource needed. Poor-quality or low-quantity pollen affects brood health and future colony strength.
Feed Global Pollen Patties to ensure nurse bees can raise well-fed winter bees. For SHB-prone areas, feed small amounts and monitor closely.

3.      Give them water—lots of it.
Water is essential in hot, dry weather—not only for regulating hive temperature and humidity but also for thinning honey and supporting overall hive function. Bees may haul nearly a gallon a day, so make sure it’s always available. Bonus: they love "dirty" water full of natural minerals!

Know Your Local Forage

Use this helpful NASA Plant Bloom Tool to find out what should be blooming in your area and whether it’s a nectar or pollen source. The “SIG” column indicates whether the plant is an important nectar source for your area. The more you know what is available for your bees to forage on, the better you’ll be able to anticipate their needs.

Watch for These Queen and Brood Clues

It’s normal for your queen to slow down during dearth—but reduced brood shouldn’t look dry or neglected. If brood appears dry (no liquid surrounding the larvae), a pollen shortage might be to blame. A slowdown in brood production doesn’t necessarily mean your hive is queenless. As long as the queen is still laying a consistent brood pattern and nurse bees are actively caring for the brood, there’s usually no cause for concern.

Bottom Line

Summer dearth doesn’t have to spell disaster. Stay ahead of the curve with regular hive checks, smart supplemental feeding, and a steady water source. What you do now determines how your bees enter fall—and whether they thrive next spring.