June Monthly Tips

In most areas, the honey flow will continue into early June and then begin
tapering off in mid-June, fully ending by late June. For the first half of June,
continue adding honey supers when the existing super becomes 75% full of
honey.
When the major nectar-producing plants in your area begin dying, that is a signal
that the honey flow is coming to an end. You will also notice a decrease in the
amount of nectar being brought in.
Bees typically cap honey once it is cured, but there are several scenarios where
the honey may be cured but not capped. To see if uncapped honey is ready to
harvest, simply hold the frame of honey horizontally over your hive and shake it
vigorously. Uncured honey will rain out of the cells. Cured honey will not come
out at all, or only a few drips can be shaken out. In this case, the honey is ready
to harvest.
There are many methods to remove bees from your supers once the honey flow
ends and you are ready to harvest. A popular, quick, and easy method is a fume
board. Other methods include using a bee brush or blowing with a bee blower or
leaf blower. Bee escapes are still available but not recommended for areas that
have issues with small hive beetles since they take so long to vacate bees.
Smoking the hive extensively is also not recommended, as oversmoking is not
very effective and can give the honey a smoky flavor. Remember to extract your
honey right after harvesting to prevent small hive beetles from ruining your crop.
Once your honey is harvested, place the supers back on your hive to let the bees
clean up the excess honey. Remember, your bees will be “robby” since there is
very little natural nectar available once the nectar flow has stopped. Because of
this, make sure to put your freshly harvested honey supers back on your hives
late in the evening, giving your hive all night to clean and remove the excessive
smell of honey. This will help prevent other hives from robbing your hive the next
day. Once the supers have been cleaned, you can remove all but one box above
your brood nest and store the rest with Certan or Para-Moth for the next season.
Begin providing a water source for your bees if natural water sources begin
drying up for the summer.
Postharvest is the most critical time of the entire beekeeping year for providing
care. Details for postharvest care are outlined in the July tips. Please read ahead
and be prepared.