July 2025 in the Central Oregon Apiary

July marks the main honey flow in Central Oregon. 

Our Key Actions This Month:

• Re-Queen If Needed. You can quickly gauge colony strength by watching the entrance.30–90 bees per minute means the hive is strong, roughly equating to 40,000 bees. New colonies may be less.
• Check brood pattern: a healthy queen should have a tight, solid pattern. “Shotgun” brood indicates she may need replacing. Many beekeepers replace their Queens every year in order to increase their productivity and reduce the swarming tendency.  If you replace her in the mid to late summer, you’ll have that extra “umph” next spring during the increase period.

• If needed, replace with a purchased queen or one you’ve raised if you planned ahead, perhaps from your spare parts nuc.
• Manage HEALTHY Weak Colonies by combining them with strong ones using the newspaper method , and always remove the failing queen first. Combining two weak colonies is less likely to solve the problem as the outcome may still be a weak colony.
• July is still acceptable for doing splits if you want to expand or manage swarmy hives. Make sure the split has enough bees, brood, and a quality queen and manage for bee number increase instead of honey production.
• Add supers when 7 - 8 frames in your brood boxes are filled. If the current super is nearly full, or you’ll be away for a while, add another. Or harvest capped frames and replace them with drawn or empty frames. If adding a second honey super, place the full one above the brood nest, new empty one on top. This “honey barrier” helps keep the queen down without an excluder.
• If drawing comb in a new super, 1:1 syrup can help. Stop feeding once wax is drawn to prevent syrup in your honey harvest. White wax is a good sign your hive is healthy and queenright.
• Hot days above 95°F can stress colonies. Provide shade if you feel necessary. Add ventilation: prop open the outer cover slightly, crack boxes slightly, or stagger boxes to help airflow, but don’t create large gaps that allow robbing.
• The main way to help your bees during these hot days, is to ensure fresh water is always available near the hive.
• Watch for Robbing! Small, weak hives are at risk. Reduce entrances if necessary. Keep the apiary tidy. No exposed comb, wax, etc. Consider robbing screens if robbing becomes a problem.
• Monitor your mite loads! Alcohol washes are most accurate. The bee population flattens now, but Varroa mites keep multiplying. If you find 3% or higher (9 mites per 300 bees), plan to treat. Options depend on temperatures and whether you have honey supers on. See the Honey Bee Health Coalition Varroa Guide for updated treatment options.

This is the big honey month! Minimal disturbance helps maximize your harvest. It’s also a great time to sit, observe, and learn: watch flight patterns, pollen coming in, and general bee behavior. Subtle changes can teach you a lot.

Hydrate yourself too! Beekeeping in the heat is tough. Take breaks, wear protective gear sensibly, and enjoy the season. Remember: Bees can’t fix weak queens, high mite loads, or starvation on their own. If you see a problem, fix it now while there’s still time.

Next start thinking about your late summer plan. Mite treatment, preparing colonies for fall, and ensuring adequate food reserves for winter. 

Happy Beekeeping!

ed: Allen Engle

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