March 2024 Newsletter

The time has finally come to be able to work with the bees. May you all have stings that do not swell.

At this time of year, it is important to do your work depending on weather. If it is above freezing it is safe to lift the cover and take a peek. Do not remove frames or disturb the cluster unless the temperature is above 50ºF (10ºC).

The first inspection is just to see if the bees are alive and provide them with a pollen patty. The hope is there is still pollen in the hive for the bees to use. Giving them this pollen patty is insurance that they will have the protein they need to feed brood if there is none or it is too far outside the cluster for them to reach it. Give them a 4 - 8 oz. pollen patty. When you put the pollen patty in, slide it in from the side until it is against the cluster. If the cluster is not above the top frames, then put the pollen patty between the two top boxes next to the cluster. The pollen patty must be in contact with the cluster for them to be able to use it.

Check honey stores. If you left the bees enough honey last fall, they will be ok. If they have 2 full frames (or 4 half full frames) they should be fine. Just because the bees are in the top box does not mean they are out of honey. By looking down between the frames you should be able to see if the frames have honey in them.

If the colony is starving (not enough honey to last until your next inspection), then you have to feed them even though it is not ideal. The best feed at this time of year is frames of honey. If you had a colony that died with honey left, you can use it after you verify the colony did not die from the bacterial disease American foulbrood (AFB). Add any honey frames at the edge of the cluster. Do not put a cold frame of honey into the cluster of bees. You do not want to separate any of the brood this time of year and putting a cold frame of honey in the cluster takes a lot of heat from them. If I must feed honey, I like to add a box with honey to the top so the bees can move up naturally.

If you do not have any frames of honey, put dry sugar between the inner cover and the moisture board or a candy patty on top of the frames. Remember to only add sugar to the colony if absolutely necessary. Incoming sucrose can trigger the bees to start raising brood early. The bees need to keep the cluster warmer when brood is present, using more honey. They also have less space to store honey inside the cluster and will not leave the brood to move to more honey. So, feeding sugar this early is bad for them if they do not need it.

A couple weeks after your first inspection, go back and do the same thing again. Check the feed and give more pollen substitute if the bees ate most of the first one. If the first one is still there but moldy or dried out, remove it and give them a fresh piece. If they are not eating it may mean they have plenty of pollen in the frames. However, it is best to keep a pollen patty on in case they run out.

If they are dead, close up the boxes so mice and/or bees cannot get in. Of course, you do not want the mice to go in and destroy combs. You also do not want other bees robbing any honey when they start flying. If the colony died from a disease such as AFB, robbing bees can pick up disease spores with the honey and bring the disease back to their hive. Once you know the colony did not die from AFB, you can use the equipment and honey for a new package or divide. You can also use the honey to feed a live colony that made it through winter without enough food reserves.

Clean out any dead out equipment before it starts to thaw. The longer you wait, the more unpleasant it will be. When cleaning out dead bees, just brush away any bees between the frames. Do not try to get dead bees out of the cells. You will do more damage than good. Replace any frames that look bad. Try to replace brood nest frames every 3-5 years.

Gary

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