03 Mar First Colony Inspections of the Spring: What to Ask Yourself
Posted at 09:18h
in Blog
by Tiffany Harelik
Early Spring inspections are an optimal time to do some inventory and equalization of resources. It’s an exciting time in the apiary to take stock of how the colonies are doing, as well as to anticipate plans for the season.
Things to keep in mind with early Spring inspections:
- It’s normal that they don’t have a ton of brood yet. The Queen should be feeling like laying or swarming in the next few weeks but may not have ramped up just yet depending on your weather patterns.
- It’s normal to have smaller colonies as they are coming out of the winter. But if they are running low on bees and food stores, feed 1:1 (inside the hive asap to prevent robbing).
If your bees did not make it through the winter, there are options for starting over:
- Buying packages/Queens
- Buying nucs
- Buying new equipment
- Setting swarm traps and catching wild bees
- Doing removals
- Renting hives from a beekeeper who will come manage their hives on your property (this has ag valuation benefits too)
28 Questions to Ask During Spring Inspections
- Do I see eggs?
- Is there pollen coming in?
- Are drones being laid?
- How can I equalize resources and condense things for them?
- Is all the brood up top and I need to remove en empty lower box?
- Again: Do I need to make their space smaller? / How can I prevent robbing?
- Which queens genetics made it over the winter? Am I comfortable with that?
- Do I want to use a queen excluder (if a goal is honey production)?
- What went well last season and over the winter?
- What did I do that may have been problematic or disruptive?
- What chemicals are being used in the 6 mile radius area?
- Are there swarm cells?
- Do I need to feed 1:1 sugar water to get them through this period before flowering plants come back?
- Do I need to remove icky old comb? If feeding- do it inside the hive to prevent robbing behavior.
- Was my old comb treated? If so – the chemicals build in the wax over time and are eventually problematic/ old chem comb would need to be cycled out and not used for beauty products.
- Was the fall mite load too much? If so what is my plan to combat varroa this year?
- Do I have enough natural forage to survive without feeding extra? They shouldn’t need to all be fed year round. Feeding is an emergency or specific goal situation. Not every hive needs the same meal.
- What else am I observing?
- Are there any signs of pests or disease?
- If I catch a swarm, these are likely local spicy genetics- am I ok with that, or do I want to requeen? What’s my plan for that?
- Do any hive angles need to be adjusted to ensure no moisture is pooling in the bottom?
- How is my foundational knowledge of bee biology serving the apiary / what subjects would support my learning at this stage?
- What is the nearest queen breeder for access to bees well adapted to my specific area / or do I want to make my own queens?
- Did anyone abscond, if so- why?
- What am I anticipating that needs to be done next?
- What natural flowering plants / trees can I support during this fragile stage?
- Did any access to water change?
- Am I getting a full picture by starting at the bottom box and working my way up?