It is too hot to be outside these days and it is only the end of June. I have said before, and I say it every year, my least favorite months of a year are July & August. It just started a bit earlier this year.
July is usually the month that I take honey. It is a HOT job, but with extra help, I can get it done in a couple of hours. That does not include extracting, but that can be done in the kitchen where the A/C is nice and cool.
Other than watering all my gardens, I tend to stay inside during the heat of the day. I provide water for my gardens and for my bees. I use sprinklers in the morning hours and make sure that the bird baths and fountains that the bees drink from, have ample water in them.
I do prefer to be outside, but the heat during these month, drives me indoors. Now you know why these are my least favorite months.
What’s blooming now??
Verbena brasiliensis – Brazilian verbena grows in roadside ditches and is many time confused with Verbena bonariensis. The flower of Verbena brasiliensis is smaller, but the bees find wonderful nectar in them. Even though some call this an invasive plant, my honey bee Love it.
Butterflies and other pollinator love the Verbena bonariensis.
Honey Bees Love all types of mint. Keep it contained. It can be aggressive.
Purple Vitex, Chaste Tree, Vitex agnus-castus is also a Honey Bee Favorite
Sumac is also starting to bloom. Pollinators find pollen on the Sumac in the morning and nectar in the afternoon.
Adding plants, that Honey Bees love, to your landscape, allows the bees to gather what they need and limits the need to feed during a time that many beekeepers refer to as “dearth months”
Now that we have passed the Summer Solstice, the bee are in “Prepare for Winter mode.
Stay Cool!! It will be Fall before you know it.
Namaste’
