Thoughts on this month in beekeeping by Janine Sparks
JULY 2026
An interesting month for me which included rescuing a swarm of bees from a skip! This was a two day event which included emptying half of the skip and climbing in, much to the amusement of the neighbours! All now safely in a box, let’s hope they don’t turn out to be rubbish bees!!
The heat this month at times was extreme and whilst most of my colonies are shaded from the midday and afternoon sun. One of them is more exposed, and the sun umbrella came out to give them some shade during the very hot spell recently. They were obviously using the bright umbrella to navigate home because when I moved it to inspect them, there was much confusion from the returning foragers!
Here we have had a good flow on – rain followed by sun has brought good forage for the bees – bramble, roses, lavender and lime trees have all been spectacular, and my supers are filling up. Sweet chestnut trees are in full bloom now and bell heather is just on its way – Crooksbury common was purple tinged this evening, and I have spotted my first Himalayan Balsam by the river yesterday.
What is going on in the hive?
The swarming season should in theory be over, it has certainly been quiet over the past couple of weeks but there could still be swarms. So keep checking your hives, and in particular, make sure they have plenty of room! The queen should be working hard now building up the brood in the hive, and the longer hours of daylight and warmth will mean the foragers will be out from early morning until the evening.
If you are extracting then make sure you leave plenty for the bees – colonies are at peak size now so the bees need plenty of stores in case forage tails off or the weather turns wet.
Check your hives
You should continue your regular inspections once a week to look out for signs of swarming – although I admit that I relaxed that rule in the extreme heat we had. It would have been uncomfortable for me, and the bees would have had to work even harder to get the colony back to the right temperature.
Keep an eye on the health of the colony – look at the brood pattern, are the stores building up nicely, is there anything that looks unusual in the hive? If in doubt, maybe ask someone else to take a look – a second pair of eyes is always helpful I find.
In your regular inspections, the usual checklist applies:
- Do you see the queen or evidence of the queen (eggs, larvae brood in all stages)
- What does the brood pattern look like? If it is patchy it could indicate that the queen is failing, or a brood disease.
- Look out for evidence of disease
- What is the temperament like?
- Do you see drones?
- Do you see queen cells? Have your swarm prevention plan to hand. Just destroying any queen cells normally just delays the problem, so be ready to manage this situation.
- Are there sufficient stores – nectar and pollen?
- Is there enough room? If in doubt, add another super!
Don’t forget to keep records updated!
High temperatures will return next week apparently so make sure your bees have a water source near to home – I have dishes with pebbles in that I keep topped up with water.
Check the larder
Honeysuckle and nasturtiums are proving popular with bees at the moment, and oregano is just coming into bloom – Oregano has self seeded everywhere in my garden and the bees love it so much that I just let it spread. I am hoping to see my first “ghost” bee soon when they find the Himalayan Balsam.
Enjoy your bees!
