The June Gap 2026 - No, really

British beekeepers have long been aware of what is called the ‘June Gap’, a few weeks in the year when you may need to feed your bees simply because the amount of available forage is momentarily reduced. This is due to the Spring flowers having died off and the summer flowers not yet fully blossoming, just at the point when colonies are increasing in size and there are lots of mouths to feed. It can affect the amount of surplus honey that is available for the beekeeper to harvest at the end of the summer, as the bees will not store the nectar they are collecting, opting to eat it now.

Here in France we rarely have to feed our bees at this time of year as we can usually count on there being a good variety of plants available. Our meadow was especially bountiful last week, full of borage, viper’s bugloss, cornflowers, yellow rattle and marguerite daisies as well as the usual suspects….We have an arrangement with a local farmer – he mows the field for free and gets to keep the hay; it works for all parties in that we don’t have to worry about mowing three acres and he has cheap hay for his cattle. He never tells us when he’s going to do the work but it’s usually at the end of July. This year is different. As with so many things, the ever-changing weather is disrupting the usual run of play and so, not wishing to risk the grass drying out too much, he’s cut it early - during the first week of June - and we find ourselves in a heatwave with a massive reduction of forage for our bees – our first June Gap!

Luckily it’s not too bad – the sweet chestnut and privet is still flowering, as are all the dandelions and brambles, but it’s important to keep an eye on these things so that we can step in if we notice our bees struggling to find enough to feed the young.

What are your bees eating just now and have you remembered to make sure they have enough water too?