Lavender flow in full swing here in Provence — notes on timing monofloral supers
Quick report from the Valensole plateau: the lavandin has been open about ten days and my 30 hives that I moved up here at the end of June are absolutely hammering it. Supers that went on empty on June 28th are two-thirds capped already.
For anyone chasing a monofloral lavender crop, the timing detail that matters most: your supers must go on EMPTY (or with only drawn comb) right as the flow opens, otherwise you get a blend with whatever spring honey was left and you can't sell it as lavande. I extract everything before moving the hives, then move at night, entrances closed, about 40 km from my home apiary.
Other note — it's hot (34C afternoons) so I've got every hive on screened bottoms with a water source 50 m away. The flow usually holds until early August here, then it shuts off like a tap. Anyone else on lavender this year?
#lavender#monofloral#migratory#flow-report
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AbejasCarla · Jul 13, 2026
Lovely to read. Down here in Andalusia our lavender finished weeks ago and we're deep in dearth now — enjoy it while it lasts! Agree completely on empty supers for monofloral. I do the same for orange blossom in spring: extract everything first or the batch is ruined for varietal sale.
MieleMarco · Jul 13, 2026
Same principle with our sunflower and chestnut moves in Tuscany. One thing I'd add for newer folks reading: night moves in this heat need serious ventilation — I lost a strong colony to overheating in the truck years ago. Screened tops, not just screened bottoms, if the drive is over an hour.
IstriaBee · Jul 13, 2026
How do you handle the paperwork/agreements with the lavender farmers, LavenderSophie? I'm trying to arrange something similar with a lavender grower here in Istria and don't know what's normal — do you pay them, or do they consider the pollination a fair trade?
LavenderSophie · Jul 14, 2026
IstriaBee — here it's the beekeeper who gets the better end of the deal, lavandin is mostly harvested for oil and doesn't strictly need us, so no money changes hands. A few jars of honey for the farmer at the end of the season keeps everyone happy. Get it agreed before you move anything though, including where the truck can drive.