As I write this, we are approaching what’s called the “dearth” for the bees. This is when there is very little in bloom for the bees to forage from. Late July and August can be challenging to find things to bloom with the unrelenting heat.
As expected, I’ve seen a huge uptick in honey bees visiting my flowers. Things like basil and verbena are constantly covered with them as their usual sources for nectar are scarce.
In anticipation of this dearth, as well as the approaching Fall, both hives have slowed down reproduction and hardly any drones (male bees) are being born at this point. Only the female bees will overwinter. I was able to condense the hives down into one less box each to support their decreasing size. There is a great deal of capped honey within the hives, so fingers crossed that we may get to harvest a bit later this Summer!