May in the Hive: The Start of Honey Season 🍯🐝
As spring settles into Okotoks, May brings one of the most exciting times of the year for beekeepers and bees alike—the beginning of honey season.
Inside the hive, activity is booming. The colony is growing quickly, flowers are beginning to bloom across southern Alberta, and worker bees are hard at work collecting the nectar that will eventually become the delicious honey we enjoy later in the summer.
After months of preparation, this is when the real magic begins.
Spring Flowers Mean Nectar Flow
By May, bees are starting to find more consistent sources of nectar and pollen. Early blooming flowers, trees, and wild plants provide the fuel colonies need to continue growing and storing food.
Around Foothills County, bees may forage from:
Dandelions
Willow trees
Fruit blossoms
Clover
Early wildflowers
Every flower visited contributes a tiny drop of nectar to the hive. While it may not seem like much, thousands of bees working together can accomplish incredible things.
Worker Bees Are Busy
May is when worker bees truly kick into high gear. Their jobs include:
Collecting nectar and pollen
Feeding developing larvae
Building honeycomb
Regulating hive temperature
Protecting the colony
During peak spring activity, a strong hive can contain tens of thousands of bees, all working together toward one goal: building up enough resources for the season ahead.
How Nectar Becomes Honey
When forager bees return to the hive with nectar, the transformation process begins.
Bees:
Pass nectar between worker bees
Add natural enzymes that break down sugars
Store the nectar inside honeycomb cells
Fan their wings to evaporate excess moisture
Over time, the nectar thickens into the honey we know and love. Once it’s ready, bees seal the cells with a thin wax cap to preserve it.
Preparing for a Big Summer
For beekeepers, May is also about preparation. As nectar collection increases, extra space may need to be added to the hive to give bees room to store incoming honey.
Healthy spring growth is critical because Alberta’s honey season can move quickly. Colonies need to be strong and ready to take advantage of every warm, flower-filled day.
A Busy Season Ahead
May is the beginning of a busy and exciting stretch in the beekeeping season. The hive is thriving, flowers are blooming, and the first stages of honey production are underway.
While the jars may still be empty for now, every trip a bee takes to a flower brings the season one step closer to harvest time.
Fun Facts About Honey Production
A single honeybee visits up to 5,000 flowers per day.
Bees must collect nectar from roughly 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey.
Honeybees flap their wings about 200 times per second.
Worker bees are female—and they do almost all the work inside and outside the hive.
Bees communicate the location of flowers using a special movement called the waggle dance.
Follow the Journey from Hive to Jar
At Bee Boyse Honey, spring is just the beginning. Over the coming months, we’ll continue sharing behind-the-scenes looks at the beekeeping season—from nectar flow to honey harvest.
👉 Follow along to learn more about local honey, Alberta beekeeping, and the hardworking bees behind every jar. 🐝🍯