How Honeybees Manage and Thrive During the Hot Summer Season

Summer is the most demanding season in the life of a honeybee colony. From the moment temperatures rise and flowers begin blooming in abundance, every bee in the hive has a role to play – foraging, processing, storing, cooling, and defending. Understanding what honeybees do during the summer gives beekeepers the knowledge to support their colonies at the right moments and anticipate the challenges that follow the peak season.

Foraging for three essential resources
How bees process nectar into honey
Using water to regulate hive temperature
The brood nest: the most temperature-sensitive zone
Beeswax secretion and comb building during honey flow
The dearth period: when abundance gives way to scarcity
Colony population decline
Increased attacks by bee enemies
What this means for beekeepers

Foraging for three essential resources

The primary job of worker bees during summer is foraging. Honeybees collect three essential resources to sustain the colony: nectar, pollen, and water. Each serves a distinct purpose, and bees actively manage how much of each is collected based on what the colony needs at any given time.

Nectar is the colony’s primary energy source. Worker bees collect it using their proboscis and store it temporarily in their honey stomachs. According to research published in Bee Culture, when foragers return loaded with nectar, they transfer it to younger “receiver bees” inside the hive, who then pass it along to other nestmates – a chain of transfers that progressively reduces water content and adds enzymes. This continues until the nectar is finally deposited into a wax cell for further ripening.

Pollen is the colony’s only protein source. As documented by the University of Florida IFAS Extension, pollen provides the proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins essential for rearing larvae and developing young adult bees. Foragers pack dry pollen into the corbiculae (pollen baskets) on their hind legs and return to the hive with colorful loads that reflect the botanical diversity of the foraging area. Inside the hive, workers convert raw pollen into “bee bread” by mixing it with enzymes and beneficial bacteria through fermentation – making it more digestible and shelf-stable.

Water plays a critical but often overlooked role. Each day, a portion of foragers are designated as water carriers. Unlike nectar, water is not stored in comb cells – instead, the forager distributes it directly around the hive where it is needed. The number of water-collecting bees increases or decreases dynamically depending on the colony’s demand.

How bees process nectar into honey

Nectar straight from the flower is little more than dilute sugar water. Transforming it into storable honey requires significant effort. The process begins in the forager’s honey stomach, where enzymes start breaking down complex sugars. Back at the hive, the nectar passes through multiple worker bees – a process called trophallaxis – with each transfer adding more enzymes and reducing moisture. Workers then spread the partially processed nectar across open wax cells and fan their wings vigorously to evaporate remaining water. Research published in Scientific Reports confirms that honeybees are highly selective about which plant sources they use for nectar versus pollen, actively choosing different flowers for each resource based on colony needs. Only when the water content drops sufficiently do bees seal the cells with a wax cap, completing the honey.

Bee bread (processed pollen) follows a similar path. Fermentation preserves the protein-rich material and makes its nutrients available to nurse bees, who consume it to produce royal jelly and brood food for larvae.

Using water to regulate hive temperature

Summer heat poses a real threat to the developing brood inside the hive. Honeybee larvae and pupae are highly sensitive to temperature – brood must be kept within a stable range of 33°C to 36°C for normal development to occur. Temperatures above 38°C can be fatal to developing pupae.

To achieve this precision in hot weather, bees rely heavily on evaporative cooling. Foragers collect water and workers spread droplets across the comb surface. Other bees fan their wings at the hive entrance and between frames, creating air currents that carry heat out as the water evaporates. Published research on hive thermoregulation notes that during extreme heat, a significant portion of the colony’s workforce shifts toward water collection and fanning rather than honey production – the colony prioritises brood survival above all else.

Another visible summer cooling strategy is bearding – when large numbers of worker bees cluster on the outside of the hive. By relocating outside, they reduce the metabolic heat generated inside and help maintain the optimal brood nest temperature.

The brood nest: the most temperature-sensitive zone

Studies published in the Journal of Comparative Physiology A show that honeybee colonies function as “superorganisms” with respect to thermal regulation, maintaining brood nest temperatures between 34°C and 36°C regardless of external conditions. Research from Journal of Comparative Physiology B found that brood nest temperatures average around 35.5°C during summer, with only brief deviations above or below this range. This precise control supports the rapid and consistent development of brood, which is central to the colony’s population growth during summer.

Beeswax secretion and comb building during honey flow

When a strong nectar flow begins – the period when flowering plants produce abundant nectar and foragers are bringing it in faster than the colony can process – bees respond by ramping up comb construction. Worker bees secrete fresh beeswax from glands on the underside of their abdomens. This wax is used to build new hexagonal cells that accommodate the incoming nectar, pollen, and ultimately capped honey.

Wax production is metabolically expensive. Betterbee notes that bees stop producing wax once incoming nectar stops, as the colony cannot afford the energy cost without a reliable food supply. This means comb construction is tightly linked to the availability of nectar – bees build only when resources justify it. The fresh wax laid down during peak honey flow is lighter in colour and more pliable than older, darker comb.

Beekeepers who add honey supers at the right time during this period give colonies the space they need to store incoming nectar. If space runs out, the colony may be more inclined to swarm as it runs out of room to expand.

The dearth period: when abundance gives way to scarcity

Following the summer honey flow, many regions experience a nectar dearth – a period when flowering plants slow or stop producing nectar due to heat, drought, or the natural end of the blooming cycle. A nectar dearth is most commonly triggered by weather conditions – extreme heat, dry spells, or the gap between flowering seasons – and it can last from days to months depending on the location.

The transition from honey flow to dearth has significant consequences for the colony. Mississippi State University Extension explains that colony growth is directly tied to incoming food – when nectar stops, so does population expansion. The queen reduces her egg-laying rate, and the colony’s population gradually declines as older worker bees die without being fully replaced.

Colony population decline

This population reduction is a natural response – fewer bees means fewer mouths consuming limited stores. However, it creates a vulnerability. A colony that was thriving with tens of thousands of bees during peak flow may shrink considerably, leaving fewer guard bees to defend the hive entrance and fewer foragers to take advantage of any nectar that does become available. As documented on Beeblog, if a strong nectar flow arrives after the dearth, a depleted colony may be too small to make full use of it – reducing the total honey stores available for winter survival.

Increased attacks by bee enemies

The dearth period is when colonies become most vulnerable to attack. Penn State Extension notes that as summer nectar flows diminish, honeybees become more defensive of their resources and strong colonies may begin robbing smaller or weaker ones. Robbing bees enter a target hive to steal stored honey; the raid can result in the complete loss of food reserves and the death of the robbed colony.

The threats do not come only from other honeybees. Honey Bee Suite highlights that yellowjackets, wasps, and hornets all intensify their attacks on colonies during the dearth, attracted by the scent of honey and brood. Wax moths are another serious hazard: by mid-summer, the nest has expanded in size, but the reduced bee population may be unable to patrol all the comb, giving wax moths an opportunity to establish and destroy unguarded frames.

Honeybees respond to these threats by tightening their defences. Guard bees become more vigilant, carefully inspecting every bee attempting to enter. The colony may also reduce the effective size of the hive entrance, making it easier for a smaller number of guards to control access. Beekeepers can support this by fitting entrance reducers and, where needed, robbing screens to confuse intruders without blocking resident bees.

What this means for beekeepers

The summer cycle – from peak foraging and honey flow through to the dearth – demands active observation from beekeepers. During the honey flow, the priority is ensuring colonies have sufficient comb space so incoming nectar doesn’t cause congestion. During the dearth, the focus shifts to protecting stores, monitoring food levels, and reducing hive entrances. Clemson University Extension recommends that beekeepers in agricultural areas identify which summer-blooming crops and plants are available near their apiaries, as these can provide critical nutrition during periods when natural foraging otherwise slows down. Supplemental feeding with sugar syrup or pollen patties is an option during severe dearths, though it should be done carefully to avoid triggering robbing behaviour from neighbouring colonies.

Understanding the full arc of summer colony activity – the diligent foraging, the precise temperature control, the burst of wax production during honey flow, and the vulnerability that follows – allows beekeepers to intervene at the right time and avoid preventable losses.

What do you think? Given that the dearth period immediately follows the most productive phase of the colony’s year, what steps do you think are most critical for a beekeeper to take before the honey flow ends? And how might planting strategies around an apiary change the timing or severity of the summer dearth?

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Table of Contents

Foraging for three essential resources 🔗

How bees process nectar into honey 🔗

Using water to regulate hive temperature 🔗

The brood nest: the most temperature-sensitive zone 🔗

Beeswax secretion and comb building during honey flow 🔗

The dearth period: when abundance gives way to scarcity 🔗

Colony population decline 🔗

Increased attacks by bee enemies 🔗

What this means for beekeepers 🔗