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Last Week in the Apiary - 3rd Week of June 2026

6/23/2026

Pollinators visiting newly emerged Narrowleaf mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium). Photo by Eric Malcolm, June 16, 2026, Beltsville, MD.

Time in the Yard: 0 minutes
Time in the Barn: 8 hours
Total Colonies: 67
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 92°
Low: 54°
Avg: 73.8°
Total Precipitation: 0.37”

Actions:
We scraped and cleaned boxes (n=20) of old stored medium frames and foundation that had damaged wax comb. We also applied fresh beeswax to the foundation in preparation to add space to growing packages.

Observations:
Cleaning and waxing the foundation took much longer than expected. Our plot of Narrowleaf Mountain Mint, planted 2 years ago, have just started to bloom in our wildflower plot for the first time!

Reflections:
It would have taken less time but more money to replace the damage wax comb foundations with new, waxed foundation. We still felt good about the time spent because we were able to reuse the old plastic and not send it to the landfill.

Things in bloom:
Russian Sage, Dutch Clover, Red Clover, Elderberry, Sweet Yellow Clover, White Sweetclover, Golden Raintree, Chicory, Basswood, Common Cinquefoil, Yucca (Adam's Needle), Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea, Common Yarrow, Magnolia, Purple Crown Vetch, Daisy Fleabane, Mullein, Orange Day-lily, Mimosa tree, Narrowleaf Mountain Mint, Clustered Mountain Mint, Virginia Mountain Mint, Chinese Chestnut, Queen Anne’s Lace, Crepe Myrtle, Staghorn Sumac, Winged Sumac, St. John’s Wort

A large plot of Narrowleaf Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) planted in the Fall of 2024, grows and blooms for the first time. Photo by Eric Malcolm, June 16, 2026, Beltsville, MD.

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Last Week in the Apiary- 2nd Week of June 2026

6/18/2026

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A cluster of white Silky Dogwood flowers with a backdrop of green foliage.

A cluster of blooms on a Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum). Photo by Eric Malcolm, June 6, 2026, College Park, MD.

Time in the Yard: 30 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 6 minutes
Total Colonies: 67
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 95°
Low: 58°
Avg: 76.8°
Total Precipitation: 0.73”

Actions:
Added supers to package colonies (n=5) that had comb starting to be drawn between the top medium brood box and the inner cover.

Observations:
Nectar is still coming in and we’re starting to see more capped honey than in past weeks.

Reflections:
We were happy but a little surprised by the need for supers during last weeks inspection, but the packages have really taken off now that brood is emerging. We could have saved our trip this week had we packed some honey supers on the truck "just in case" during our inspecting for queens last week.

Note to self: Always keep some extra boxes on the truck.

Things in bloom:
Russian Sage, Dutch Clover, Red Clover, Elderberry, Sweet Yellow Clover, White Sweetclover, Golden Raintree, Chicory, Basswood, Rhododendron, Mountain Laurel, Common Cinquefoil, Yucca (Adam's Needle), Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea, Common Yarrow, Sweet William, Foxglove Beardtongue, Magnolia, Purple Crown Vetch, Daisy Fleabane, Mullein, Orange Day-lily, Silky Dogwood, Mimosa tree, Narrowleaf Mountain Mint, Chinese Chestnut, Queen Anne’s Lace, Crepe Myrtle, Staghorn Sumac, Winged Sumac

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Last Week in the Apiary - 1st Week of June 2026

6/9/2026

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A brood frame full of capped brood, pollen, and bees. On the bottom left of the image is a capped supersedure cell and to the upper right the current queen can be seen, unmarked. from a bee hive

A capped supersedure cell in a queen right colony believed to be superseding their current queen. Photo by Eric Malcolm, June 4, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 4 hours 51 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 7.5 minutes
Total Colonies: 66
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 89°
Low: 47°
Avg: 66.35°
Total Precipitation: 0.0”

Actions:
We checked our package colonies for queen status and for swarm, supersedure, and emergency queen cells (n=35)
Combined a weak and queenless colony (n=1) with a stronger colony. Removed swarm cells (n=1).

Applied Formic Pro (n=2), 2 strips each, to a small yard where one colony tested above 3 mites per 100 bees.

Observations:
Three of the thirty-six colonies made from packages were found to have gone queenless, despite repeated attempts at requeening. One colony was superseding their queen. Nectar is starting to come in more noticeably and colony populations are growing. We will need to install supers on a few of our package colonies and combine one other queenless colony next week.

Reflections:
We started our field day early to try to miss the hottest part of the day. Temperatures are beginning to climb above 85°F consistently and we have to be mindful of potential heat related illness. Staying hydrated, taking frequent A/C or shade breaks during the day are good ways to keep ourselves from overheating.

Things in bloom: Amur Honeysuckle, Russian Sage, Dutch Clover, Red Clover, Catalpa, Southern Arrowwood , Elderberry, Butterfly Weed, Sweet Yellow Clover, Japanese Lilac Tree, Golden Raintree, Chicory, Basswood, Rhododendron, Mountain Laurel, Catalpa, Multi-flora Rose, Ground Ivy, Common Cinquefoil, White Dogwood, Border Privet, Yucca (Adam's Needle), Oakleaf Hydrangea, Common Yarrow, Sweet William, Foxglove Beardtongue, Magnolia

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Last Week in the Apiary - 4th Week of May 2026

6/2/2026

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A beekeeper holds a telescoping cover that has just been removed from a beehive with one deep box and prepares to add a medium box to it.

Graduate student Harriet Harris preparing to add a medium brood box to a colony started as a package this spring. Photo by Eric Malcolm, May 28, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 6 hours 31 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 7 minutes
Total Colonies: 67
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 81°
Low: 49°
Avg: 65.5°
Total Precipitation: 1.36”

Actions:
Reviewed lab diagnostic results for our sampled colonies. Added one medium box to all but one of our package colonies (n=35).
Treated overwintered colonies in the yards that had one or more colonies above 2 mites per 100 bees.

Treated with Formic Pro (n=20), 2 strips per colony.

Observations:
A lot of brood has emerged since our last inspections and colonies’ populations are growing. Overwintered colonies have enough food for their immediate needs but have still not produced much surplus honey.

Reflections:
This week and the first 3 days of next week are projected to be below 85° and we wanted to take this opportunity to apply formic acid treatments prior to the hot summer weather.

Things in bloom:
Amur Honeysuckle, Russian Sage, Dutch Clover, Red Clover, Catalpa, Southern Arrowwood , Elderberry, Butterfly Weed, Sweet Yellow Clover, Japanese Lilac Tree, Golden Raintree, Chicory, Basswood, Rhododendron, Mountain Laurel, Catalpa, Hubricht’s Bluestar, Multi-flora Rose, Ground Ivy, Common Cinquefoil, White Dogwood, Border Privet, Yucca (Adam's Needle), Oakleaf Hydrangea, Common Yarrow, Sweet William, Foxglove Beardtongue, Magnolia

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Last Week in the Apiary - 3rd Week of May 2026

6/1/2026

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A frame from a queenless colony with two uncapped swarm cells.

A frame from the brood area of a queenless colony with two uncapped swarm cells. Photo by Eric Malcolm, August 24, 2024.

Time in the Yard: 1 hour
Avg Time per Colony: 30 minutes
Total Colonies: 67
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 96°
Low: 50°
Avg: 71.4°
Total Precipitation: 1.47”

Actions:
We checked colonies that had been requeened in the previous week for queen acceptance (n=2).

Observations:
Both colonies inspected were Queen Not Seen (no eggs or young larvae). Both had queen cells with young larvae in them. We will check again in two weeks for queen status.

Reflections:
The rain this week was very welcome and much needed. We hope the added moisture will support continued bloom and help bring more nectar into the colonies in the coming weeks.

Things in bloom:
European Field Pansy, Dandelion, Purple Crown Vetch, Paulownia, Amur Honeysuckle, Tulip Poplar, Russian Sage, Golden Alexander, Daisy Fleabane, Dutch Clover, Crimson Clover, Red Clover, Catalpa, Southern Arrowwood, Elderberry, Sweet Yellow Clover

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Last Week in the Apiary - 2nd Week of May 2026

6/1/2026

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The only thing in the honey supers that was above the excluder this week aside from a few worker bees was a dead European hornet. Photo by Eric Malcolm, May 14, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 7 hours 48 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 12 minutes
Total Colonies: 67
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 80°
Low: 38°
Avg: 59.8°
Total Precipitation: 0.96”

Actions:
We equalized and checked queen status of the last of the colonies installed from packages seven weeks ago (n=12). Requeened queenless colonies (n=4). Performed full inspections (n=19) and sampled colonies for Varroa (n=19).

Observations:
We saw similar variation in frames of bees among the package colonies as seen in those checked last week. There was very little stored nectar in supers in overwintered colonies. Overall, queenright colonies had solid and healthy looking brood patterns and lots of capped brood. We also found swarm cells, in a colony that did not appear crowded.

Reflections:
Based on early blooms, we had prepared for a strong nectar surge. That did not go as expected! Many honey supers remain dry. This was a useful reminder that sometimes despite us being prepared and colonies appearing ready for a nectar flow, environmental conditions ultimately determine how much nectar is produced. But that’s the way farming goes sometimes.

Things in bloom: Common Stork’s bill, European Field Pansy, Dandelion, Purple Crown Vetch, Paulownia, Amur Honeysuckle, Tulip Poplar, Russian Sage, Burning Bush, Golden Alexander, Daisy Fleabane, Dutch Clover, Crimson Clover, Red Clover, Catalpa

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Last Week in the Apiary - 1st Week of May 2026

6/1/2026

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A frame of capped brood, pollen and bee bread covered with workers.

A frame of brood and food resources, covered with bees from a strong package colony's queen. Photo by Eric Malcolm, May 12, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 1 hour 30 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 7 minutes
Total Colonies: 67
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 83°
Low: 40°
Avg: 59.5°
Total Precipitation: 0.32”

Actions:
We checked queen status and equalized Frames of Bees (FOBs) in colonies installed from packages six weeks ago (n=12). Weaker colonies were also provided with frames of capped brood from stronger colonies. Requeened one colony (n=1) that did not accept their previously introduced new queen.

Observations:
Colonies installed from packages had varying FOBs with populations ranging from 2.5 and 10.5 FOBs, averaging at 4.5 FOB. All colonies had gentle temperaments.

Reflections:
When managing newly installed packages, it is helpful to inspect and equalize them regularly so weaker colonies do not fall too far behind and stronger colonies do not become overcrowded too quickly which could lead to swarming. If we install packages on this scale again, we will plan better safeguards to prevent or minimize drift.

Things in bloom:
Common Stork’s bill, European Field Pansy, Dandelion, Shepherd’s Purse, Star of Bethlehem, Purple Crown Vetch, Japanese Snowball, Paulownia, Black Locust, Black Cherry, Amur Honeysuckle, Amur Maple, Tulip Poplar, Russian Sage, Burning Bush, Golden Alexander, Daisy Fleabane, Dutch Clover, Crimson Clover, American Sycamore, American Elm, Red Clover

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