As summer peaks at the end of the month, your colony should have settled with a mated laying queen, and most of the worker bees will be out gathering nectar. Worker bees have slowed in producing honeycomb.
Be prepared to extract honey once cells are 85% capped and remaining uncapped cells won’t run out in order for them to be ready for extraction. Add honey supers as necessary to reduce crowding and provide better ventilation with more spacing between frames.
Your job is to give the colony plenty of water and additional room to grow by adding empty supers to hold all of their honey. During summer months, bees can use 1.5 gallons of water a day to keep the hive at an optimal 92-93°F temperature. If bees can’t stay cool through adequate water and shade, they will focus more on this instead of making honey and capping cells.
Continue checking the hive every 10 days for pests, brood pattern and honey production.
Estimated time (2-3 hours):
- Inspect and treat for mites or other pests
- Switch out frames and add honey supers as needed to keep up with production
- Harvest full honey frames
- Ensure bees have water source
Purchase:
- Tools & Clothing - as needed
- Honey Harvesting Tools & Equipment
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