July at the apiary
July is a pivotal month at the apiary. Between harvesting, the first summer treatment, establishing new colonies, and gradually preparing for winter, beekeepers must already be thinking well beyond this season’s honey. This month therefore calls for calm, well-organized decisions that are directly tied to the health of the colonies for fall and winter.
1. July at the Apiary : a pivotal month
 |
Objective Since the summer solstice, colony dynamics have been changing gradually: laying decreases, forage conditions become more irregular, the swarming impulse recedes, and robbing may become more problematic. |
Colonies may still appear strong and productive, but the logic of the month is no longer that of June. July requires a shift from an expansion logic to a decision logic: setting the harvest date, preparing the honey house, monitoring varroa infestation, applying the first summer treatment, and consolidating nucleus colonies.
A lowland apiary, a hillside apiary, and a mountain apiary do not necessarily follow the same rhythm. Decisions must therefore not be driven by the date alone, but by observation of the colonies, the weather, and the forage conditions actually available.
In July, it is often wiser to forgo a few kilograms of honey than to delay a decisive summer treatment for the health of future winter bees.
See also:
- Colony management: beekeeping management plan
- Practical Guide: 4.12 Dynamic colony management
- Best practices for colony inspection
2. Harvest : choosing the right moment and preserving quality
 |
Objective The date for removing the supers depends on both the weather forecast, the development of incoming stores, and the timing chosen for the summer treatment. Waiting is not always synonymous with a higher yield. |
If forecasts predict cold spells or a prolonged deterioration, it may be pointless to expect further significant incoming stores. In certain contexts, particularly at altitude, the forage situation may nonetheless remain more favourable later into the season. The hive scales or the weight trend of hives often provide a useful practical indicator.
The harvest begins with removing the supers and clearing the bees, for example using a clearer board, a brush, or by shaking the frames. Several methods exist, each with its own advantages and limitations. The essential point is to work calmly and cleanly, without encouraging robbing.
Before extraction, the honey house must be carefully prepared: cleanliness of the room, hygiene of equipment, organisation of uncapping, centrifugation, and conditioning. During uncapping, the cappings wax deserves particular attention: it is a high-quality wax, particularly valuable for the beekeeper's own wax cycle.
The honey is then extracted, strained, and left to settle. The extraction speed, room temperature, and type of extractor influence ease of work and the preservation of the frames. The settling tank serves primarily for the honey to settle and for impurities to rise to the surface.
The water content must be checked with a refractometer (max. 18.5 % to meet the apisuisse quality standard). Honey with too high a moisture content presents a greater risk of fermentation. If the value is too high, it is better to defer bottling and take the necessary steps rather than conditioning an unstable honey.
Finally, the honey can be jarred, labelled, and stored under good conditions. It is worth monitoring the crystallisation rate and not waiting too long when the honey is prone to it.
Practical point : It is better to harvest a mature honey, carefully handled from super to storage, and treat on time, than to delay the next steps in colony management for a few additional uncertain kilograms.
See also:
3. Varroa : measure, decide, and act without delay
 |
Objective The varroa mite reproduces very rapidly once brood rearing resumes. A colony that still appears strong and productive may therefore already carry a significant varroa infestation without this being visible to the naked eye. |
The progression of the parasite throughout the season is very rapid. As brood progressively decreases, a growing proportion of varroa mites becomes phoretic on adult bees, and the risk of viral transmission increases precisely when the quality of future winter bees becomes critical.
Colony management should therefore not rely on a visual impression, but on a measurement, such as the natural mite drop count. A numerical assessment avoids proceeding blindly and allows the next steps to proceed without unnecessary delay.
In July, the issue is no longer simply to confirm that varroa is present: it must be understood that every delay reduces the safety margin for rearing the bees that will need to overwinter.
See also:
- Practical Guide 1.1: Varroa management concept
- Practical Guide: 1.5.1 Natural mite drop count
- Integrated varroa control throughout the season
4. After the harvest : first feeding and 1st summer treatment
 |
Objective After the harvest, colonies should first receive an initial food supply so that uncapped stores are available. The first stage of the summer treatment follows directly after. |
This initial feeding remains moderate (2–4 litres of syrup) and must be carried out carefully, preferably in the evening, in order to limit the risk of robbing. The aim is not yet to build up all the winter food stores, but to create good conditions for the next steps.
Two main approaches can then be considered: a method using formic acid, or a method using oxalic acid during a broodless period following a brood break or brood break. In the second case, the method must be planned sufficiently far in advance, as a minimum of 3 weeks of preparation is required before the final treatment during the broodless period.
With formic acid, temperature becomes a critical factor. Depending on the dispenser or product used, the temperature range is not exactly the same, but around 30 °C the situation becomes precarious, and some methods should no longer be applied above this threshold. The specific practical guides must therefore be consulted before application.
After the harvest: feed briefly, then treat without unnecessarily delaying the protection of future winter bees.
See also:
- Practical Guide: 1.2 Overview of summer treatment methods
- Varroa control: the summer brood break
- Varroa: The brood break
5. Creating summer nuclei and consolidating young colonies
 |
Objective July still allows summer nuclei to be created, notably using bees from the supers. But the objective is not merely to multiply: it is to form colonies capable of developing, being properly fed, and becoming genuine reserve units. |
A nucleus colony created in summer needs bees, a queen, comb foundation to build on, sustained feeding, and regular management. Without these, it will remain too weak to become a genuine reserve unit.
Practical benchmark : It is often advisable to plan for approximately 20 to 30 % more young colonies than the number of production colonies targeted for the following spring. For 10 production colonies desired in spring, this means, for example, overwintering around 12 to 13 units in total, i.e. 2 to 3 additional reserve nucleus colonies.
This reserve is useful because not all units develop equally. It allows for potential overwintering losses to be offset, weak colonies to be replaced in spring, and a management margin to be maintained. An apiary that overwinters exactly the desired number of colonies will quickly find itself short after a difficult winter.
Important point : The goal is not to overwinter any nucleus colony regardless of condition. Units that are too weak or inadequate will often be better united in autumn than kept at the risk of loss. It is better to rely on sufficiently strong reserve colonies with enough bees and food stores than to multiply fragile units that will require much effort for little chance of success.
Where possible, it can also be useful to retain a few reserve queens or well-developed mating units. In spring, they can prove invaluable for replacing a queenless colony or a disappointing queen.
In small apiaries, this reserve logic is even more important. With only 3 or 4 colonies, the loss of a single unit already represents a significant proportion of the stock. In this case, overwintering 1 or 2 additional young colonies can provide valuable security, provided they are sufficiently strong.
Nucleus colonies are no exception when it comes to varroa monitoring: a high relative infestation level can rapidly compromise their development, precisely because their population is still limited.
In July, therefore, a few well-managed nuclei are better than several units that are too weak.
See also:
- Summer nuclei using bees from the supers
- Nucleus formation
- Practical Guide: 1.6.5 Varroa treatment in mating hives
6. After the harvest : planning feeding for overwintering
 |
Objective After the last honey harvest, colonies must quickly rebuild adequate food stores. Feeding must therefore begin without delay and be coordinated with summer care and the varroa control strategy. |
Timing matters greatly. Feeding that starts too late places unnecessary strain on the bees at the end of the season and can impair the quality of the winter bees. In practice, it is therefore worth beginning immediately after the harvest.
But feeding too quickly or in too large quantities is equally inadvisable. If the food stores fill the brood nest too rapidly, the queen may lack space to lay the eggs of the future winter bees. It is therefore better to feed regularly and progressively, so that the necessary stores are in place between mid-September and the end of September.
The total volume of food stores alone is not sufficient. For a production colony on 10 to 12 frames, approximately 16 - 20 kg of winter feed is generally targeted, but the distribution of stores within the brood box also matters. A few well-filled food frames are more favourable for overwintering than a large number of only partially stocked frames.
The type of food must also suit the season. After the harvest, liquid feeding is well suited to building up stores. Later in the season, a more concentrated feed reduces the evaporation workload. In the event of a nectar dearth during a forage period, not just any syrup will do: honey adulteration and sanitary risks must be avoided.
Preparing for overwintering also means adapting the nest volume. Empty or sparsely occupied frames should be removed before winter. The aim is to form a compact, well-populated unit with accessible stores. Too many empty frames increase the risk of a colony losing contact with its food even when stores are still present in the hive.
The robbing risk remains high during this phase. Liquid feeding should be given in the evening, without spilling feed, and weak colonies must be closely monitored. If necessary, the entrance should also be reduced using an entrance reducer.
Finally, feeding alone is not enough : a good overwintering colony also requires a sound queen, sufficient colony strength, adequate food stores, and a controlled varroa infestation. A colony that is too weak does not automatically improve simply because it is given syrup; in some cases, uniting colonies in autumn remains the best solution.
See also:
- Practical Guide: 4.2 Feeding
- Which syrup to choose for winter feeding
- Practical Guide: 4.3 Overwintering
- Practical Guide: 4.8.3 Robbing
7. Summary – July at the apiary
July is a transition month. It still belongs to the harvest season, but it already directly determines the health of future winter bees, the management of nucleus colonies, and the preparation of winter stores. The main priorities are summarised below.
| To do in July | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Set the harvest date and prepare the honey house | Honey quality and the schedule for the rest of the season depend on it |
| Harvest mature honey and check water content (hygrometry) | Honey with excessive moisture ferments more readily |
| Measure varroa infestation and do not delay the 1st summer treatment | The health of future winter bees is already at stake in July |
| Plan any method involving a brood break sufficiently in advance | Oxalic acid treatment during the broodless period requires adequate preparation time |
| Create and properly feed summer nuclei | A young colony only has value if it can become viable |
| Monitor varroa in the nuclei | Their limited population makes them particularly vulnerable |
| Plan feeding through to winter preparation | Stores must be in place by mid-September at the latest |
In July, the right question is therefore not only "how much honey remains to be harvested?", but also "what conditions am I creating now for healthy colonies in autumn?"
► Other months...
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |