One thing that the rains have taught me is - If you have a canopy that you use for a honey booth, do not use it for anything else, including leaving it up in your back yard. I was using my 10′ x 10′ canopy to shade my work area that I designated for cleaning my hive boxes. I just put it up and was getting ready to start my cleanup when the rains came and I forgot about it long enough for the rain water to stretch the top and get heavy enough to punch a hole in the top center. That allowed the water to collect even more weight and collapse the whole frame. Here is what it looks like now.

Now I have to buy another canopy for my festivals. But now I have some experience as to what not to do.

I have finished numbering my hives with the number 18. That is the grand total of my colonies. I am planning to split next spring so I can start expanding again.

Now is the time for me to start making plans to procure queens for the fall re-queening. This will be sometime in the month of September.