As I write this (April 21) it is just above freezing, and the snow has not all melted yet.  I think this year the season will be behind some. Of course, I have thought that before and somehow it caught up. Remember to make your management decisions based on the bees and the weather not the calendar.

Let me start with packages. Remember that even if it is too cold to take frames out (should be >50°F or 10°C) and check the hive you still need to check to be sure they have syrup and a pollen patty available. You can do this even if it is freezing.

You should have emerging brood 4 weeks after hiving the package. Up until then you may notice your colony dwindle. That is normal because some bees are dying and there are no replacements yet.

Based on the weather we have had it is probably a relatively small brood area. As brood emerges the queen will lay in those cells so the brood nest may still not expand for a couple of weeks. Then it will start to expand, and you need to be watching for the time to add a second box. Once you have checked and you know your queen is there (because you see brood), there is no reason to remove frames to look at them. With the cool weather, it is best to not remove any frames. If you do take a frame out to look (who can resist) do not keep it out long and for sure do not set it outside the colony. Check to see if they need more pollen substitute and keep the feeder filled and they will be fine. Even if they are bringing in pollen, you should have a pollen patty on unless they have a lot of stored pollen.

When checking the feeder be sure to smell it to make sure it is OK. The one advantage of the cool weather is the syrup does not go bad as fast, but if it smells bad or is moldy clean the pail and replace the syrup.

When the first box is at least 80% being used (you see bees on 8 of the 10 frames) add a second box.  Move a frame (with nectar but no brood) from the bottom box to the center of the new box to draw the bees up. Evenly space out the nine remaining frames in the first box.

For your wintered colonies, as soon as the weather warms up (nights consistently above 40dF or 4°C) you can do reversals, clean the bottom boards and reverse the entrance reducer. At that time, you can do a partial or modified reversal. Be sure to not separate the brood at this time.

In the May 2020 newsletter, I did an extensive description of the reversals. If you need a refresher, go to the website mnbeekeepers.com and look up 2020 May newsletter for the Management. It is most important not to break up the brood nest.

If your colonies have no stored honey, you will have to feed them. BUT, do not feed them sugar
syrup yet if they do not need it. If they have 2 frames of honey, they are fine. It is best if you can give them frames of honey. You could even take some from another colony that has plenty. As the weather warms you can give them some feed to stimulate them to raise more brood. You don’t want to do that now because if the brood nest expands and then if it gets cold and they cannot keep all the brood warm it will die.

The divide is usually at the time of fruit tree bloom (typically May 15). This year may be a little later but keep an eye out on the environment. Remember we do the divide when we have at least eight frames of brood. Find the queen or do the trick with queen excluder so you know which box she is in. The trick is described in our Beekeeping in Northern Climates manual. (http://z.umn.edu/beemanual)  The divide should have 4-5 frames of brood and all of the bees on those frames plus a frame or 2 of nectar and pollen. The parent colony should be left with at least 4 frames of brood and the old queen.  If you have more than 8 frames of brood, leave the extra in the parent colony. Let the divide set for 12-24 hours so the old bees will fly back to the parent colony before you install the new queen. Have a feeder with light syrup on the divide to help them accept the new queen more readily. Introduce your queen using the slow-release method. The queen should have come in a cage with queen candy (not a marshmallow)

The parent colony has a queen that is laying so be sure the top box (of two boxes) contains at least a couple empty frames for her to lay eggs into. Also be sure you put two honey supers on the parent colony after you make the divide to provide extra room for all those old bees that are coming back. If you plan to winter the parent colony add a third deep instead of the supers.

A quick reminder about leaving frames out of the box. It is convenient and safer for the bees if you leave a frame out of the box while you manipulate the remaining frames. The frame that is out can be set on the end (not bottom) leaning against the hive or set in a frame holder or put in an empty box. It is best to leave out a frame of honey but if it is a frame with brood (especially larvae) be aware of things that will injure or kill it. First is sunlight which in hot weather can overheat it and even melt the wax. Second is the wind which can desiccate (dry out) the Larvae and kill it. Third is kicking it, that will smash the larvae and pupae and kill it. So, refrain from keeping a brood frame out of the hive. If you must keep a brood frame out the hive, keep it in the shade and protected from wind and feet.

When you are visiting your bees be sure to check the brood carefully and look for signs of disease. For new beekeepers, be sure to look at brood every time you go in the hive. You do not have to look at every frame but look at least a couple frames of brood. This gets you used to looking at healthy brood. If you see something different you may not know what the disease is if you get one but, you should know that it is not healthy and get help.

You should also test wintered colonies for varroa mites with the powder sugar test. Treat SOON if you have more than three mites per hundred bees.  Be sure to look at the label for the treatment you are using so you know how far in advance you must treat before adding supers. Test for varroa again after treatment to be sure your treatment worked. For a poster on the powder sugar test for varroa go to z.umn.edu/freebee. You should continue to test monthly. Be aware that a higher percentage of mites than normal may be in the brood in early spring.

We will be having our first in person meeting this month. See details elsewhere in this newsletter. You will also be able to join by zoom. We will also have the first Hive Demo this month. It will be at 5:45-6:45 outside the Bee Lab before the meeting. You can also join the demo through Zoom. Note the Zoom link for the Hive Demo is different from the Zoom link for the meeting.

Finally, I encourage you to take part in the BIP winter loss survey. I wish they would change the name because you should enter your information even if you did not have any losses. If only those that lose colonies report the data will be biased. Visit beeinformed.org/take-survey  to enter your success/loss in the survey! From there you can also see results from the survey.

Gary
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