1. June at the apiary : colony peak and a month of decisions

Objective Understand why June is a pivotal month at the apiary — one in which colonies remain very powerful, yet several important decisions already shape the rest of the season. In June, two opposite mistakes lie in wait for the beekeeper : allowing a very strong colony to run out of space, or assuming that a vigorous colony is immune to all problems. The first favours swarming; the second dulls health vigilance — particularly regarding varroa, whose population grows rapidly precisely because brood is abundant.

In June, colonies are often at their peak development. Brood is still abundant, foragers are highly active, and nectar flows can be substantial if conditions remain favourable. Yet this month is not simply a continuation of spring : around the summer solstice (21 June), the dynamic gradually shifts. The queen's laying rate will then begin to decline, comb building will slow down, and the beekeeper's room for manoeuvre will progressively narrow.

June is also a month of sharp contrasts in terms of available forage. Depending on the region, it may still offer good nectar flows — notably at altitude or from certain late-flowering plants — but it can equally become a lean month, or even a period of dearth in lowland areas once the major spring blossoms are over and the weather deteriorates. A lowland apiary, a hillside apiary and a mountain apiary do not necessarily follow the same rhythm.

Interventions should therefore not be driven by the date alone, but by observation of the colonies, their stores, the weather and the forage resources actually available. Several priorities converge in this month : managing space, creating nucleus colonies, monitoring brood, assessing varroa pressure, preparing for harvest and planning the summer treatment.

Some of these priorities cannot be deferred to July. That is the true hallmark of June.

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See also:

• Good practices for inspecting a colony
• Brood volume
• Integrated varroa management through the seasons
• Apiary management: beekeeping management plan

2. Adding supers and managing space

Objective Give the colony the space it needs to support the harvest, preserve the laying area and limit the conditions that promote swarming. In June, many colonies fully occupy the brood box. When space is lacking, bees store honey and pollen where the queen should still be able to lay — and swarming pressure increases, even when the season already seems well advanced.

A lack of space rapidly alters the colony's internal balance. The brood nest becomes blocked, laying diminishes, and the beekeeper loses part of his management margin. The super is therefore not merely a storage volume : it helps maintain a balanced internal dynamic.

Practical signals to watch for : a very densely occupied brood box, bees crowding behind the division board, disorganised storage of honey or pollen in the brood box, white wax construction on the frame lugs or under the crown board. These signals often indicate that expansion is needed without delay.

A strong colony may sometimes require one, two or even several supers in succession. The aim is not to add volume as a matter of principle, but to keep pace with the colony's actual development and the intensity of the nectar flow. Waiting too long remains a real risk — including in June.

June is also a useful window for drawing out new comb, while colonies are still very active. After the solstice, this comb-building drive often diminishes. The decision must be taken at the right moment, in line with the actual dynamics of the apiary.

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See also:

• Practical Guide: 4.12 Dynamic colony management
• Frame construction
• Practical Guide: 4.4 Comb renewal
• Swarm prevention

3. Creating nucleus colonies and rearing queens : a closing window

Objective Make use of colony strength to expand the apiary and renew queens — bearing in mind that this opportunity narrows rapidly as the month progresses. June remains a good period for creating nucleus colonies and making the most of particularly strong colonies. It is also a favourable time for rearing a few queens from good breeding stock. But the available window is limited.

Creating a nucleus colony allows the beekeeper to renew the stock, have reserve units available and relieve a very powerful parent colony. When done properly, this operation can be carried out without jeopardising the harvest of the source colony, particularly when forage remains adequate.

Decision point : when a colony is very strong, the priority is not always the same. If a nectar flow is under way and the main objective is the harvest, the first concern must be to prevent overcrowding and brood nest blockage. If, on the other hand, the aim is to expand the apiary or relieve a very powerful parent colony, creating a nucleus colony may become the priority. The right choice therefore depends on the actual strength of the colony, the available forage and the objectives of the apiary.

A calendar point not to be overlooked : from the end of June onwards, lightweight nucleus-creation methods — using only a small number of frames — become too late in the season. A young colony created too late will not have enough time to develop sufficiently to overwinter in good condition. Beyond this point, stronger units must be formed, with more brood frames. This is not impossible, but it is more demanding. It is better not to miss the opportunity at the beginning of the month.

For small apiaries : the key is to stay simple and realistic. A nucleus colony needs brood, bees, food and adequate thermal regulation. The aim is not simply to "make a split", but to form a unit capable of developing steadily through to autumn.

For more experienced beekeepers : June also allows for a more structured approach to queen rearing. This is the natural season for producing a few quality queens, attending courses run by queen-rearing instructors, preparing mating hives or having certain queens mated at a mating station. The quality of the breeding stock remains decisive.

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See also:

• Nucleus colony creation and queen rearing
• Creating nucleus colonies
• Colony multiplication
• Principles and methods of queen rearing

4. Collecting swarms and monitoring colonies that have swarmed

Objective Respond to June swarms with sound judgement, taking into account both the beekeeping value, the disease risks and the essential follow-up required for the parent colony. In June, swarming is not always over. Some colonies are still swarming, and the beekeeper may need to collect a swarm or manage the consequences of a swarm that has left the apiary.

A healthy swarm of known origin can be collected and hived. However, swarms located within a standstill zone for European or American foulbrood must not be collected : the risk of contagion is significant. In case of doubt, the bee inspector's advice is essential before taking any action.

After collecting a swarm, close attention must be maintained in the days that follow. The beekeeper must ensure there is no excessive empty space, provide supplementary food if necessary, monitor the actual development of the new colony and — in a production apiary — remain alert to the risk of robbing if forage becomes scarce.

The parent colony must not be forgotten. After swarming, supers often need to be removed or redistributed if the harvest is not imminent, stores must be checked and, after a sufficient interval, the resumption of laying must be verified to confirm the presence of a queen. A colony that has swarmed is not automatically "resolved" : it enters a new phase of management.

From a selection standpoint, it is worth considering whether to replace the queen of a collected swarm. Perpetuating a strongly swarming genetic line is not desirable in the long term. This is not a mandatory step, but it is a decision that deserves conscious consideration rather than being overlooked.

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See also:

• Practical Guide: 1.4.6 Swarm
• Foulbrood contagion
• Practical Guide: 4.7.4 Managing queenless colonies
• Practical Guide: 4.8.3 Robbing
• Practical Guide: 4.7.3 Recognising healthy colonies

5. Migratory beekeeping : taking advantage of late nectar flows while observing the rules

Objective Present migratory beekeeping as a real June practice, useful in certain contexts, but requiring thorough preparation on the practical, health and legal fronts. From late spring onwards, when forage resources diminish in lowland areas, certain production colonies may benefit from being moved to later-season sites, particularly at altitude.

Migratory beekeeping is not simply about "chasing more honey". It also makes it possible to exploit a later phenological cycle and can, in certain cases, facilitate some summer management practices where mountain temperatures remain more moderate than in the lowlands.

This decision must, however, be prepared with rigour. The beekeeper must first confirm that the available nectar flow genuinely justifies the move, choose the site carefully and observe the recommended distances between apiaries. The landowner's or relevant authority's consent must be secured in advance.

Before moving, the health and administrative situation must be verified : standstill zones, notifiable diseases, fire blight zones, any cantonal regulations, notification to the bee inspectors responsible for both the original and the new site, and information to any neighbouring beekeepers concerned. The hive record sheet must be kept up to date and hives correctly identified.

The transport itself cannot be left to chance. Colonies must be strong, healthy, adequately provisioned, well ventilated and their load properly secured. Moving generally takes place in the early morning or at night, with appropriate equipment and a well-organised logistical plan. On site, regular monitoring remains essential.

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See also:

• Practical Guide: 4.9.1 Migratory beekeeping
• Practical Guide: 4.9 Apiary site selection
• Practical Guide: 4.7.3 Recognising healthy colonies
• Apiary management: beekeeping management plan

6. Monitoring brood and assessing varroa pressure : avoiding unpleasant surprises

Objective Make June a month of active health monitoring. The apparent vigour of a colony offers no protection against a silent rise in varroa infestation — and every week's delay in diagnosis carries a direct biological cost. In June, the varroa population continues to increase within colonies. A strong, productive colony may therefore simultaneously carry a already significant parasite load — without this being visible to the naked eye.

This point is central : varroa does not only set the stage for autumn problems. In June, it can already disrupt colony dynamics, damage brood and compromise the rest of the season. The rapid growth of its population at this time — precisely because brood is abundant — makes any delay costly.

At this stage, the last drone brood removal before the first summer treatment should be carried out, if this biotechnical measure was implemented in spring. This action helps slow the parasite's population growth, without replacing the summer treatments.

June is above all the right time to measure the natural mite drop and obtain a first quantitative assessment. This measurement is essential to avoid operating blindly. In Switzerland, it is generally considered that, at the end of June/beginning of July, a natural mite drop of more than 10 varroa per day means that action can no longer be delayed. This benchmark must nonetheless be interpreted with care : it assumes the measurement has been carried out correctly and does not remove the need to assess the overall situation of the colony and the apiary.

If the infestation proves to be high, preparation of the summer treatment — or even consideration of an emergency treatment — must no longer be postponed. In that case, it is better to refer to the specific practical guide on emergency treatment rather than improvising at the apiary.

At the same time, brood frame inspection must remain attentive : patchy brood, suspected European or American foulbrood, chalkbrood, varroosis or any other abnormality. In case of doubt, it is better to seek a specific assessment from the bee inspector than to allow an ill-understood situation to deteriorate.

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See also:

• Practical Guide: 1.5.1 Natural mite drop count
• Practical Guide 1.1: Varroa management concept
• Practical Guide: 1.7.1 Emergency treatment
• Recognising bee diseases

7. Preparing the harvest and choosing the summer treatment strategy

Objective Plan ahead for the harvest and choose the first summer treatment approach in good time. Whatever is not decided in June will have to be improvised in July — with less room for manoeuvre and greater risk. In June, it is generally too early to apply the first summer treatment, but not too early to prepare for it. This is, in fact, the right moment to decide how the rest of the season will be managed.

The harvest must first be approached from the perspective of quality. Where supers are approaching maturity, the honey house must be prepared, equipment cleanliness checked and only sufficiently ripened honey harvested. The date alone is not sufficient : it is the actual condition of the frames and, where possible, the water content that should guide the decision.

But June is also a month for methodical preparation of the first summer treatment. It is not enough to know that the treatment will take place after the harvest : the approach must already be chosen, materials prepared, timing planned and the location of the colonies taken into account.

For the first stage of the summer treatment, two main approaches can be considered :

• Formic acid treatment after super removal. This method is simpler to implement, but is highly temperature-dependent. In periods of intense heat, excessively rapid evaporation can be more difficult to control.
• Oxalic acid treatment during a broodless period, made possible by a prior brood break. This approach is less dependent on weather conditions and offers high efficacy, but is technically more demanding : it requires locating the queen, adhering to a strict schedule over several weeks and having a sound command of the protocol.

Critical point : if a brood break by queen caging is being considered, the planning must begin in June (at least 21 days before the oxalic acid treatment). Implementation then follows according to the chosen method, the apiary calendar and the local context. Its success depends largely on advance preparation — materials at hand, queen located, schedule established. This decision cannot be left to the last moment.

In both cases, June is still a month of preparation. But it is the last month in which these decisions can be taken calmly — before harvest pressure and rising varroa infestation levels narrow the margin for action.

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See also:

• Controlling honey water content
• Optimising good beekeeping practices for honey production
• Practical Guide: 1.6.1 Brood break
• Varroa control: the summer brood break
• Integrated varroa management through the seasons

8. Summary – June at the apiary

June is a month of intense activity, but above all a month of decisions. Colonies are still very strong, harvest opportunities remain open depending on the region, and several management choices already influence the summer and even overwintering. The key priorities for this period are summarised below.

To do in June	Why it matters
Expand strong colonies in good time	Prevents brood nest blockage and limits swarming pressure
Create nucleus colonies before it is too late in your context	For lightweight methods, the window often closes towards the end of June
Collect only healthy swarms and monitor the parent colony	A collected swarm or a colony that has swarmed both require attentive management
Prepare any migratory move thoroughly	Health, administrative and logistical aspects: nothing can be improvised
Measure the natural mite drop and inspect the brood	Varroa infestation rises rapidly: every week's delay in diagnosis carries a biological cost
Choose the first summer treatment strategy in June	Formic acid or oxalic acid with a brood break: this decision determines how July unfolds

In July, the rhythm will shift again : harvest, summer treatments and preparation of the winter bee population will take on greater importance. June is therefore the last month in which there is still a degree of latitude — provided it is used to observe, decide and plan ahead.

 

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