Spring

Spring Buildup & Honey Flow

February | March | April | May | June

Signs of the Season

  • Evening temperatures above 50°F.

  • First pollen sources and early nectar flowers appear.

  • Bees seem to be everywhere as they search for food.

  • Bees line up at your external pollen feeder.

  • Bees coming/going faster than can be counted at the hive entrance.

Activity in the Hive

  • Brood rearing starts and quickly ramps up.

  • Total bee population increases from 10,000 (1 box) to 50,000 (5 or more boxes).

  • Drones appear as the colony population increases.

  • Bees draw comb on new empty foundation.

  • Swarm queen cells may appear along frame bottom bars.

  • Swarm may issue from a hive taking 30-70% of the bees with the old queen.

Beekeeper’s Checklist

  • [ ] Remove hives that died during the winter – determine cause of death.

  • [ ] Be ready to add boxes to hives utilizing the stored comb frames.

  • [ ] Inspect hives regularly and take quick action to fix problems.

  • [ ] Fill external pollen feeder until bees no longer collect it.

  • [ ] Combine queenless hives with strong hives.

  • [ ] Remove entrance reducers.

  • [ ] Consider splitting hives for increase and to reduce swarming.

  • [ ] Test all hives monthly for varroa and treat as necessary.

  • [ ] Prepare for a honey harvest with proper equipment and legal labels.

  • [ ] Attend TBA Summer Clinic to improve beekeeping skills.

Potential Problems

  • Queen loss over winter – combine with strong hive or requeen.

  • Monitor queen quality and laying pattern – quickly replace failing queens.

  • Secondary pests (wax moths and hive beetles) – have controls ready.

  • Varroa increases with brood production – have controls ready.

Decisions / Considerations

  • When will I split my hives, and what will I do with the increase?

  • Where will I get queens? (purchase, rear, walk-away)

  • What will I do with the honey production?

  • Will I collect and utilize other products from the hive?

Next

Summer Dearth