Let’s Talk Bees – July 2025 Q&A Roundup

Let's Talk Bees - Episode 65

Everything You Asked, Answered - Let's Talk Bees

Welcome to the July edition of Let's Talk Bees – our popular bi-weekly livestream where we dive into real-time questions from UK beekeepers. This month’s session was packed with questions about wasps, feeding bees post-harvest, late-season requeening, varroa treatments, overwintering strategies, and more.

If you’re looking to improve your hive health, boost your honey yields, or avoid mistakes before autumn arrives – this is essential reading.

1. Do you get much wasp pressure at your apiaries?

Yes, I do. Some sites get hammered more than others. I find that wasps target weaker colonies. I use wasp traps in August and September — sweet and sour bait traps — to stop them in their tracks. It really helps reduce pressure on the weaker colonies.

2. I’ve made a split with two queen cells. Do I leave it alone for a few weeks or check back in 7 days?

Leave it alone. Let them emerge, mate, and start laying. Opening too early risks damaging the virgin queen or disturbing the mating process. Wait about 3–4 weeks before checking for eggs.

3. I did an artificial swarm 5 weeks ago. The new queen is laying, but brood is all drone. Should I replace her now or wait?

If it’s all drone brood after 5 weeks, that suggests the queen is unmated or poorly mated. I’d requeen as soon as possible. Don’t wait — the colony will dwindle quickly with no workers being produced.

4. How do you manage queen acceptance when introducing new queens to splits or queenless colonies?

I always use a slow-release method with a push-in cage or candy plug. Timing is key. I make sure there’s no queen or queen cells present, and I wait a few hours before introducing the new queen. Acceptance is much higher when bees are hopelessly queenless.

5. Do you ever mark and clip your queens?

I always mark them and clip them. I find marking helps with inspections and record-keeping.

6. Have you had issues with wasps killing nucs?

Yes — especially in summer when there’s a dearth of forage. Small, weak nucs are vulnerable. I reduce entrances and move them if needed. Wasp traps nearby help take pressure off. Prevention is better than trying to fix carnage after it starts.

7. Do you still requeen colonies late in the season?

Absolutely — if a colony needs requeening, I’ll do it even into early autumn. I use mated queens and push-in cages to ensure quick acceptance. The risk of not requeening a failing colony outweighs the risk of late introduction.

8. How do you stop bees robbing each other in late summer?

Reduce entrances, avoid spilling syrup, and feed all colonies at once if possible. Don’t leave supers or open feed lying around. I also keep my strongest colonies in one area and nucs in another to reduce conflict.

9. What’s the best way to boost a queenless nuc?

You can give it a frame of emerging brood every week until it builds up. Just make sure it has a queen first — if not, introduce one ASAP. Don’t give resources to a hopelessly queenless colony.

10. How do you manage Varroa mites after harvest? Let's Talk Bees

I treat immediately after taking off supers. Usually with a thymol-based treatment or Formic Pro if temperatures are suitable. In autumn I follow up with an oxalic acid trickle or vaporisation during a brood break.

11. Do you use poly hives or wooden hives?

I use both, but most of my production colonies are in wooden hives. I find them more durable and easier to manage in terms of temperature control and ventilation. Poly hives are great for nucs though.

12. Can I overwinter a queenless hive?

No — not successfully. You need a mated, laying queen going into winter. Queenless colonies won’t cluster properly and will dwindle fast. Requeen or combine with a queenright colony.

13. How many frames of brood do you aim for going into winter?

Ideally, 5–8 frames of brood in late August to ensure a strong overwintering cluster. That way you’ve got enough young bees to get through winter and hit the ground running in spring.

14. What do you feed your bees for winter stores?

I use invert syrup — it's easy to store and quick for bees to convert. I feed in August and early September so they can cap it before temperatures drop. Fondant is a backup, not a primary food.

15. Is it worth doing a brood break for oxalic acid treatment?

Yes — brood breaks massively increase the effectiveness of oxalic acid treatments. You can enforce one using a cage or wait until natural brood breaks in winter. Either way, no brood = high mite kill.

16. Can you make up a nuc using only nurse bees?

You can, but it’s tricky. They’ll need brood and stores to keep them motivated and stable. I prefer to include a mix of bees and at least one frame of emerging brood when making nucs.

17. Should I feed syrup or fondant in autumn?

Syrup is best in autumn — fondant is for emergency winter feeding. Feed syrup early enough that the bees can reduce the moisture content and cap it properly before it gets cold.

More Questions Coming?

We run Let’s Talk Bees livestreams every two weeks. Subscribe on YouTube to join the next one, ask your questions live, and get tailored advice straight from Laurence.

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