July Beekeeping Tips

July can be a difficult month for bees in Texas. The temperature will begin hitting the hundreds every day and the heat really slows the bees down. Most of the nectar and pollen sources will also dry up as well. If you removed your honey make sure they have plenty to eat. It can be very beneficial to feed bees in July. It helps keep their population stable and prevents starvation. Here is a to-do list!

1. Make sure hives have plenty of water and ventilation. Bees use a lot of water in the summer to keep their hive cool. If there is no natural sources nearby provide a source. A bird bath or a slow dripping faucet works well.

2. Check for Mites!! Mites population will begin to double each month in the summer and fall!! Keep an eye on it; mites can take out a hive in the summer in a matter of weeks.

3. In Texas, fall flowers usually do not make very great tasting honey, make sure you have removed your honey by the end of July to avoid contamination.

3. Nucs can be made in July. Use at least 3 frames of brood and 2 frames of honey/pollen. These Nucs will need to be well fed in order to grow in time for winter.

4. If you want to expand, order summer Nucs before they sell out!

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5. When removing honey, make sure to extract it within 4 days to prevent moths and beetles from contaminating it.

6. Honey is ready to harvest once it is 80% capped. If you harvest wet (uncapped) honey, it will ferment after several weeks.

Which Mite Treatment Works in the Texas Heat?

This matters more than most people realize. A lot of mite treatments simply do not work — or actively harm the hive — in our summer temperatures. Here is what holds up:

Apivar (amitraz strips) is the most reliable option in high heat and is what I lean on in July. It works across a wide temperature range and isn't affected by the hundred-degree days.

Thymol-based treatments (like Apiguard) do NOT do well in extreme heat — they can stress or even kill a colony when temps are high. Skip these until things cool off.

Oxalic acid only works during a broodless period. In July your hive is full of brood, so most of the mites are capped inside cells where the oxalic can't reach them. Save it for late fall or a broodless window.

Whatever you use, treat as soon as your honey supers come off. Mite populations peak right now, and you can't treat with honey supers on.

Winter Prep Starts in July

Here is the mindset shift that separates beekeepers who lose hives from those who don't: most 'winter losses' are actually summer losses that don't show up until November. A hive can look alive and full in August while quietly starving or being eaten alive by mites — and you won't see the collapse until it's too late to fix.

The bees you raise in late summer and fall are the ones that have to survive all winter. If they're raised on a poor diet or carrying viruses from a high mite load, they won't make it. Feeding hard and keeping mites in check right now is what keeps your hives alive in January. Don't wait for the first cold front to start thinking about winter.