🐝 Beekeeping in June: 5 Key Winter Tasks for Australian Beekeepers
June marks the start of winter in Australia, and for most regions, this means cold nights, shorter days, and a slowdown in hive activity. While your bees are clustering for warmth and conserving energy, there are still some essential tasks for beekeepers to carry out. One of the biggest concerns this month is feeding, especially with night temperatures regularly dropping below 6°C — too cold for bees to effectively process liquid feed like sugar syrup.
Here are five recommended actions for Australian beekeepers in June, including how and what to feed your bees when it's too cold for syrup.
1. 🍯 Feed Bees Using Solid Food (Fondant, Sugar Bricks, or Dry Sugar)
Why liquid feed doesn't work now:
When temperatures drop below 6°C, bees form a cluster to stay warm. They won't break cluster to access liquid feed, and even if they did, sugar syrup can chill them internally because it's too cold to digest.
Solid feeding options:
Here are three solid feed options suitable for June:
✅ 1. Bee Fondant (e.g., Buzzbee Bee Fondant)
-
Pros:
- Ready-to-use, convenient
- Soft, palatable, and easily digested in cold temps
- Minimally processed and consistent
- Can be placed directly on top bars or inner cover
-
Cons:
- Slightly more expensive than DIY alternatives
✅ 2. Dry White Sugar (Mountain Camp Method)
-
Pros:
- Cheap and easy to apply
- No cooking or preparation needed
- Also acts as a moisture absorber inside the hive
-
Cons:
- Not all bees readily consume white or raw sugar
- May require a shim or extra space above frames
- Less efficient than fondant in terms of digestibility
✅ 3. Sugar Bricks (Homemade or Commercial)
-
Pros:
- More compact and long-lasting than loose sugar
- Can be made at home with sugar and small amounts of water
-
Cons:
- Requires preparation and drying time
- Can be too hard if overcooked or exposed to excess moisture
Beginner Tip: Always place solid feed above the cluster, where bees can easily access it without leaving the warmth.
2. 🧊 Reduce Hive Disturbance and Limit Inspections
With the colony clustering to maintain warmth, avoid opening hives unnecessarily. Every time the hive is opened in cold weather, heat is lost, and bees are disturbed — which can cost them energy and resources they need to survive.
- Only lift the lid briefly to check food stores or add fondant
- Avoid pulling out frames unless absolutely necessary.
- Use an insulated or moisture-absorbing inner cover to help maintain internal hive conditions.
Even just a few seconds of exposure can cause temperature drops inside the hive.
3. 🔍 Check Hive Weight and Monitor Food Stores
You don't need to open the hive to know if it has enough food. One of the best tools during winter is your arms — gently tilt the hive from the back to estimate its weight.
- A light hive might indicate low honey stores or high consumption.
- Add fondant or dry sugar if it feels lighter than it did last month.
- Consider marking down weights each week to track changes.
A well-fed hive should feel heavy, as bees need at least 15–20 kg of stores to last through winter.
4. 🧼 Maintain Hive Ventilation and Prevent Moisture Buildup
Winter losses in Australian hives often stem not from cold, but from moisture.
- Tilt hives forward slightly to allow condensation to drain.
- On wooden hives where cold-spots and condensation is much more common than Insulated Paradise Hives, use a vented inner cover or moisture-absorbing material (like a piece of hessian or a quilt box) above the brood chamber.
- Avoid fully sealing the hive — bees need some airflow.
Cold and dry is better than cold and damp. Excess moisture can cause mould and chill the bees.
5. 📚 Reflect, Plan and Prepare for Spring
While the bees are resting, this is your time to plan.
- Review your hive records from the season.
- Order or build new gear (frames, boxes, tools).
- Clean and repair old equipment.
- If looking to start an new colony with good genetics, then order your NUC hive early.
- Read up on spring management, pre-purchase your queens if planning to requeen your colony/s in the Spring and swarm control.
The more you prepare now, the more confident you’ll feel when spring arrives.
🐝 Final Thoughts
June is all about support, not interference. Your bees are doing what they’ve evolved to do — form a tight winter cluster, conserve energy, and survive on their stored food. Your job is to help them do that successfully, especially when food stores are low and syrup is no longer an option.
Solid feeding — like using Bee Fondant, dry sugar, or sugar bricks — ensures bees have access to emergency nutrition without the risks of liquid feed in cold weather.
