Tactical Honey

When Can We Harvest Honey?

It depends.

At Tactical Honey, we advocate for the use of Top Bar Hives, which encourage bees to construct their own comb. While this process requires significant energy and may reduce honey yields, the freshly built comb plays a vital role in supporting the overall health and resilience of the colony to manage pests and diseases.

The age of the honeybee colony also significantly impacts honey production. It’s important to manage expectations—there’s typically no honey harvest in the first year. During this period, the focus should be on allowing the colony to grow and ensuring it has ample reserves to endure both the scorching summer and the colder winter months.

Additionally, honey production is heavily influenced by climate and forage availability. These factors can fluctuate greatly from year to year, making each season unique in its challenges.

Seasonal Forage Patterns in the Texas Hill Country

The Texas Hill Country has a unique climate and forage calendar that heavily influences honey production. Nectar flow here is very seasonal and weather-dependent. Typically, the primary honey flow occurs in spring:

• Spring (March to May): A vibrant display of wildflowers, including bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and gaillardia, blankets the landscape. Native trees and shrubs such as agarita, huajillo acacia, and mesquite add to the seasonal beauty, offering a crucial nectar supply—especially if spring rains have been abundant. During this period, colonies thrive, building up their strength and storing the majority of their annual honey reserves.
• Early Summer (June): A smaller secondary nectar flow may occur if late spring rains continue. Plants such as bee brush (whitebrush) and Texas sage (cenizo) can bloom following early summer rainfall, providing short-lived honey flows. However, if the season turns dry and temperatures soar, the nectar flow will cease abruptly.
• Mid to Late Summer (July–August): The Hill Country’s sweltering summers, with temperatures often exceeding 100°F, coupled with drought conditions, bring a challenging dearth period. Most flowering ceases, leaving bees struggling to find nectar and often relying on their spring honey stores for survival. During these months, little to no nectar typically comes in, as bees significantly reduce foraging activity above 100°F. Beekeepers must exercise caution when harvesting in the spring, ensuring enough honey remains to sustain their colonies through the summer dearth.
• Fall (September–October): When late summer rains arrive (though not always guaranteed), a fall bloom might occur. Wildflowers such as goldenrod, broomweed, and asters can create a modest fall nectar flow. A well-timed bloom can help replenish hives’ winter stores and, in favorable years, even yield a small autumn honey harvest​. However, during dry years, fall flowering is sparse, leaving bees with little to no new nectar. This can result in no fall honey crop and may require supplemental feeding or careful management of existing stores.
• Winter (November–February): Typically a non-foraging season, except for occasional warm days. Blooming nectar sources are scarce during this time. Bees form a loose cluster to conserve heat during cold spells but may venture out to forage on warmer afternoons. They depend on their stored honey reserves until the early spring blossoms emerge.

Ultimately, bee-centered management requires flexibility to match yearly forage conditions. In a productive year, you might harvest in both spring and fall, while in a challenging year (such as during drought or extreme heat), you may skip harvesting altogether to ensure the bees have sufficient resources to thrive.

Management Tips for Hive Health and Honey Harvest

Tactical Honey natural, treatment-free beekeeping incorporates best practices tailored to our local Texas Hill Country area:

Wait on Harvests: Resist the urge to take honey too soon. Give the colony its entire first year to establish. Even in the second year, only harvest if there is true surplus. A good rule is leave at least 50–70% of the honey in the hive, taking only what’s beyond the colony’s needs​. In drought years, you might skip harvesting altogether if stores are low. The bees’ survival comes first.

Ensure Adequate Stores for Dearths: Always verify the hive has plenty of honey going into summer and winter. In Central TX, the summer dearth (Jul/Aug) can be as challenging as winter. Before peak heat, make sure the hive has a solid block of comb full of honey. Typically, natural beekeepers leave all the combs the bees fill by late spring for the bees to use in summer cooling and winter heating. Only after the tough seasons (e.g. in early spring or late fall when conditions allow) should you consider harvesting comb, and even then ensure at least ~8–10 bars of honey remain for the bees (in a top-bar, this could be ~30+ lbs of stores, depending on hive size).

Provide Water and Summer Cooling: Texas heat can stress colonies. Provide a constant water source near the hive so bees don’t waste energy searching or resort to swimming pools​. Consider partial afternoon shade or an awning for the hive to help it stay cooler. Keeping bees cooler and hydrated helps them forage more and not eat through their stores as quickly.

Support Natural Forage: Encourage a bee-friendly environment. Plant native flowers and flowering trees that bloom across seasons, and check out our Native Pollinator Plants Bloom Calendar in the Texas Hill Country for options in our area. The more consistent forage available, the better the colony’s nutrition and honey output.