Wake County Beekeepers Association

Hives that haven’t swarmed will be boiling with bees.

The queen’s rate of egg laying may drop a little bit late this month when nectar dearth begins.

Bee spring is over.

Local nucs and Queens available.

May and June are harvest months for our area.

Inspect the hives weekly

Supers full of early honey may be removed.

Attend your bee club meetings.

Inspect the hives weekly to make certain the hives are healthy and the queen is there doing her job.

Watch for nectar to slow down.

Check supers, move less full frames in, fuller frames out

Egg laying still high, but when pollen slows, egg production will slow

Good month for new queens

Avoid honey bound condition

Sumac to 6/12; Vitex about 6/10 - ; Clover

Set up water stations.

Pollen sources abundant, but nectar sources dwindle.

Dearth begins the second half of June

Continue small hive beetle measures.

Check Varroa mite levels, treat if necessary (unless you plan to harvest honey)

Monitor hive beetles

All medications will vary in monthly usage.

Good month to do splits and conduct mite controls of broodless colonies.

Early June may allow use of temperature-limited treatments.

Splitting strong colonies if you want to reduce swarming and expand colonies (like getting free bees).

No need for additional honey supers.

Late season splits Replace failing queens

Feed heavy if you are trying to build out comb this time of year.

Last month to expect new comb building.

May start to see lots of bearding, but this is not a sign of impending swarming and indicates the colony is large. No further action needed to stop bees from bearding.

Stack wet supers (post harvesting) above inner cover to allow bees to clean them up.

Continue to watch for swarming (less likely)

Harvest month

Harvest dark tulip poplar honey.

Melt down wax from cappings and crushed comb and culled frames.