25d (edited) โข General discussion
๐ What June Really Means for Louisiana Bees
If you've read a beekeeping blog this month, you've seen "June = peak nectar flow!" That's true for a lot of the country. ๐๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ช๐จ.
Here in South Louisiana, our flow runs earlier and ends faster. It usually starts mid-May and wraps by mid-June, driven mostly by the Chinese Tallow tree, an invasive nuisance most folks want to cuss at, but bees absolutely love its nectar-rich tassels.
So while other regions are just hitting their stride, we're already heading into ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ต, little to no nectar or pollen available.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐:
1- ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ก๐๐จ๐จ. Quick, minimal checks only. Honey smell during dearth attracts robbers.
Watch for robbing. Desperate bees raid weaker hives when nectar dries up. Keep an eye on entrances.
2- ๐ฟ๐ค๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ ๐จ๐ก๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐๐ฃ. No nectar coming in often means she slows her laying. Normal, not a problem.
3- ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐๐จ๐ฉ. Early July is harvest time here. 80% capped comb means it's ready to pull.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป: generic beekeeping advice isn't wrong, it's just often written for somewhere else. Tulip poplar country. Clover country. We're tallow country, and our calendar runs on its own clock. The next few weeks are about protecting what's already built, not chasing more growth.
If your hive feels quieter than it did three weeks ago, that's not a problem. That's just July showing up early, like it always does.
๐ ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐'๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ? ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐.
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๐ What June Really Means for Louisiana Bees
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