My mentor cancelled most of the scheduled work sessions this month due to weather. He did have one wild swarm removal come on the schedule last minute, but I wasn’t able to squeeze it in. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any time picking his brain this month. It’s been crazy busy on the farm, so I didn’t spend as much time with our bees either. I do peek in on them regularly though and did manage to do a hive inspection.

I noticed that our bees started “bearding” this month. Bee bearding is when a cluster of bees hang out on the front of the hive box. This is a totally normal and, even, healthy sign. Bearding is a defensive tactic that bees use to protect the hive. It’s a good indication that the colony is strong and busy storing and ripening honey. I assume our bees were bearding due to the high heat earlier in the month as it is also believed to help cool down the hive. With all of the pollen I saw them bringing into the hive, they were also very likely guarding some MAJOR honey inventory. Check out the video below to see all of the “pollen pants” (the bright yellow, collection of pollen carried on their hind legs) coming into the hive!