My bees have stayed home and not gone off to their own summer camp in the fireweed, so I have been much more cognizant of forage in the immediate area. There is not much and I have been feeding them syrup and judging the rate of feed by the amount of capped honey they have in reserve. It’s a toss up between hive entrances left wide open in response to the continued heat and entrances reduced to fend off the ever-growing presence of wasps. At the same time I am watching the drones getting pushed out as fall approaches and crossing my fingers that there will be no perceived need to swarm. It’s too late to be requeening with unmated queens!
In this weird and wonderful season, I hope you have been fortunate enough to collect some honey. To take a page from Larry Lindahl’s book: Maybe my best year will be next year!