by Toni Burnham
My memory isn't what it was, and my apiary records aren't what they should be, but having UMD's Last Week in the Apiary is my useful time travel tool for 2026. When was it so hot, again? When did the Black Locust come in (or did it?) How did some informed beekeepers read those signals, make decisions, and take action?
Week by week, month by month, it is a simple matter of scrolling down. The team talks about actual bee work in Spring, Summer, and Fall, but continues through the winter, looking at apiary care, planning, equipment and all the Off Season Things.
A team at University of Maryland Extension, led by Eric Malcolm, has published these weekly updates since January 2025, and you can look at it online or subscribe to a weekly email. It describes seasonal, weather and other factors surrounding local beekeeping, as well as a report of tasks accomplished in the apiary. Helpfully, there is also information on what it in bloom each week.
About Last Week in the Apiary: the information collected
The project captures the time it typically takes to manage bees, to give an idea of the time commitment. They list "Time in the Barn" (when frames are built, sugar water is mixed, and so on) to capture time taken performing some general upkeep tasks.
Average Time:
Per Colony: relates to colonies worked that week and not the Total Colonies, listed at the bottom of the slide.
Actions:
Highlights management actions taken and include the number of colonies worked.
Observations:
What was of note while working the apiary.
Reflections:
Thoughts about on something from the week: a reason to be thankful, what was left undone and/or wish the team wished that they had thought to do, or just remembering how rewarding working with bees can bee.
Average Temperature and Precipitation:
Temperatures are shared in degrees Fahrenheit. All Weather data was collected from NOAA’s National Weather Service public database collected from their Beltsville, MD station. https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=lwx
Things in Bloom:
The plants noted were observed during bee work and generally observed within 20 miles of the apiary. This includes links to information about each plant observed. Depending on where you are located you may notice plants not included here or with bloom times earlier or later than what is indicated here.
Images:
Images included in this resource were taken during one of the actions or observations referenced that week or that relate to the content when no image was available.