Beekeeping in July 2025: This Month in the Apiary

By July the apiary is deep into the main summer season.

The colonies are strong and busy, and each hive is moving at its own pace. Some are building rapidly and filling supers, while others are focusing on brood or stabilising after earlier splits.

The weather this year has been hot, dry and often windy. That can make nectar flows unpredictable, but the bees are still working steadily whenever conditions allow.

What Beekeepers Are Doing in July

In most UK apiaries, July is a month focused on colony strength and honey production.

Typical jobs in the hive this month include:

• adding supers to give strong colonies space for honey storage
• checking brood nests to make sure they aren’t becoming honey bound
• monitoring colonies for temperament and queen performance
• making splits from strong colonies where needed
• keeping entrances clear and ensuring good airflow during hot weather
• beginning to assess colonies that may overwinter as nucleus colonies

Every apiary is different, but by July most colonies should be well established and working the main summer nectar flows.

Forage and Nectar Flow

At this point in the season the bees are working a mixture of summer forage across the hedgerows, meadows and trees around our apiary sites.

Bramble remains an important nectar source, alongside knapweed, clover and yarrow in nearby wildflower areas. For a short but valuable window, the lime trees are also in bloom.

These are not citrus trees, but large native lime trees that can produce a heavy nectar flow when conditions are right. When they flower well, the bees can gather significant amounts of nectar in a short time.

This mix of summer forage is what forms the basis of our Blossom Honey, which we normally harvest later in the summer.

 

Strong Colonies and Temperament

Some colonies are absolutely thriving at this point in the season.

One hive in particular has built a tall stack of supers and is filling them quickly. The queen is laying strongly and the colony is highly productive.

The downside is that the colony has become more defensive than we like. Temperament matters just as much as productivity, so after harvest we’ll replace the queen with one from calmer genetics while keeping the colony’s strength.

Space, Swarm Signs and Ventilation

Although the peak swarm period is usually earlier in the year, we still keep a close eye on colonies through July.

Regular inspections help us spot:

• queen cells
• brood nests becoming honey bound
• signs that the bees are starting to run out of space

Where needed we add additional supers, make splits, or adjust frames to keep the brood nest open.

Hot weather also brings another familiar sight: bearding. Bees gather in clusters on the outside of the hive to help regulate the temperature inside.

We also keep the hive entrances clear by strimming around the apiary so the bees have good airflow and easy access.

Queens, Splits and Nucleus Colonies

July is a good time to assess how each queen is performing.

Some are still producing strong, even brood patterns, while others begin to slow down. Patchy brood or reduced laying usually means the colony will need requeening later in the season.

We’ve been making splits from our best colonies and introducing new queens where needed.

This season we’re also experimenting slightly with how long we leave queens in their introduction cages before release. Giving the colony more time to adjust to the queen’s pheromones may improve acceptance rates. Early results look promising.

At the same time we’re beginning to prepare nucleus colonies that will overwinter and be available next spring. The focus is on calm, steady colonies with strong brood patterns.

Our new Langstroth nuc boxes arrived just in time and will give these smaller colonies a stable home to build up in over the coming months.

How Gardeners Can Help Bees in July

If you have a garden, there are a few simple ways to support pollinators during midsummer.

• Leaving flowering plants alone for a little longer can make a real difference. Bramble, clover and wildflowers are valuable nectar sources at this time of year.
• Avoiding herbicides on flowering plants is also helpful, as bees will often forage from them.
• Providing a shallow water source such as a birdbath with stones or pebbles allows bees to drink safely during hot weather.
• Planting late-summer forage can also help bridge the gap into August. Plants such as lavender, echinacea, sedum and buddleia all provide useful nectar when other sources begin to fade.

Even small changes can turn a garden into a helpful stop for pollinators moving through the landscape.

 

Looking Ahead

Over the next few weeks we’ll be watching colony strength closely and preparing for the main honey harvest.

Later in the season we’ll also begin checking varroa mite levels and deciding which queens to keep breeding from and which colonies may need requeening.

There is still plenty to do, but the condition of the colonies now usually sets the tone for the rest of the season.

Follow the Season in the Apiary

We share occasional updates from the apiary as the season progresses.

If you'd like to hear when our next honey harvest is ready, you can join our newsletter or follow along on social media.