Happy July! I hope that you and all your hives are doing well! By now, you should know which colonies are really thriving, and which ones are struggling. If you have multiple hives, this is a good time to begin assessing if you need to balance your apiary by taking resources (brood, pollen, nectar, and workers) from a strong colony and moving them to a weak one to boost its strength.  Just be sure you don't move the queen!

We are coming up in the time when you may be starting to pull supers to harvest honey (if you haven't already). But be aware that this is also the time when nectar sources may be drying up, as we enter the "dearth." You must ensure that your colonies keep enough honey and pollen to sustain them through the rest of this season and prepare for winter. Here in western Oregon (with our relatively warm and wet winters) the bees tend to consume more honey than in colder areas. So, for example, if you plan to go into winter with 3 medium hive boxes, you should have 60-75 pounds of honey (80-90 pounds for 2 deeps). Each medium frame of capped honey weighs about 6 pounds, so you will need a full honey super, plus 2-3 more capped honey frames in the brood boxes. If you have the space,  you may consider 'banking' a few frames of honey in your freezer for back-filling hives later.

This is also typically the time of year when water sources dry up and the full heat of summer comes on. You need to provide a source of water, like a pan of water or birdbath, if there isn't a neutral source nearby. Put rocks or sticks in it so the bees don't drown. The bees need the water to cool the hives. 

Finally, we have commented many times about the importance of controlling the population of Varroa mites. That is especially important at this point in the season. The population of bees is beginning to decline in early preparation for winter, but the mite count is still rapidly increasing. That puts added stress on the colony, just as the other stress factors are increasing. The most accurate method to do a mite count is the alcohol wash. Collect 1/2 cup of nurse bees (about 300 bees) and use a shake jar with alcohol to dislodge the phoretic mites. (Mann Lake sells a "Varroa Easy Check" container for about $26.) You should be aiming for less than 2-3% of mites. That is, no more than 6-9 mites counted in the sample of 300 bees. Putting a halt to the mite population growth now will greatly help your bees survive the dearth, and be much stronger going into the fall. 

Happy Beekeeping!   Norm

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