Rain! We finally got about a half an inch of rain 2 nights ago and that’s made all the difference for the bees.

When you see honeybees out and about, what they are doing is looking for nectar, pollen, water, and tree resins. And all 4 of these rely on water! When it’s hot and dry out for weeks on end plants dry up a bit, and their nectar basically dries up. After some rain, their nectar “flows” again and its accessable to insects once again. Take notice in your garden a day or so after a good rain and you’ll see more bee traffic on your plants!

Right now, in late June in Texas, we’ve got a little lull in the necar flow happening. I’m hoping that in about a week, because of that rain 2 nights ago, that our mesquite trees will bloom and the bees will have more than enough nectar and pollen to collect.

Mesquite season is one of my favorite times to be in the hive. The honey is so light and smokey smelling! And yes, the honey really does taste like you left it on the bbq for a little bit.

 Standing under a mesquite tree in June and July is a pretty cool experience, it’s literally alive with the sound of buzzing bees!