Good grief its July and the weather is back to October!! But now is the time we should be assessing our bees in readiness for winter close down. Check for the quantity and quality of bees in the colony. A close look at each comb to see their temperament , overall appearance of the bees ,especially the wings ,such as K wing , deformed wing and just general wear and tare. Shake off all the bees from the comb and have a really good assessment of the queen to see how she is laying , quantity of brood , brood pattern and brood in all forms with plenty of young bees to come. How old is the queen and should you prepare for new queens next season. Check the brood for any signs of disease and the state of the wax comb and be ready for changing old comb for new. Make sure your preferred feeding method is clean and ready to go on. Also if you have enough spare kit a fresh brood box, floor, queen excluder and crown board can be ready to put on in September just before feeding commences. Finally swarming can still take place so be aware. It is said that beekeepers are a resilient lot and after the wet and windy end to 2019 and 2020 with its unprecedented challenges I have to agree as we see that despite everything nature does not need us and carries on regardless.