By: Ann Harman
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of BEEKeeping Your First Three Years
Check to make sure your bees are bringing in pollen.
• It’s Spring Hive Cleaning Time!
• Select a day above 60° F, warm sun, low wind, to inspect hives from top to bottom
• While inspecting replace any old or damaged equipment
• Help the bees by cleaning off bottom board and area underneath hive
• Clean up any Winter debris from beeyard
• In bear country, inspect and repair bear and small critter fence
• Select old and damaged comb for replacement during a good nectar flow
• If using foundation (Langstroth) for replacement mist it with 1:1 sugar syrup with Honey-B-Healthy as an attractant
Inspecting hives, reversing if necessary.
• Depending on weather, monitor food supply, pollen and nectar
Watch for swarms.
• If necessary, feed with 1:1 sugar syrup and pollen patties
• Monitor pollen patties for small hive beetles
• Inspect brood pattern and colony numbers – does queen need replacement?
• If colony is weak but disease-free, combine with strong colony
Watch for small hive beetles, especially if feeding protein patties.
• Kill the queen in the weak colony when combining
• If any disease suspected contact local bee inspector or experienced beekeeper
• If in small hive beetle area, keep inspection to a minimum
• Look for swarm signs – drones at entrance, queen cells at bottom bar of frames
• Learn swarm time in your area and use your preferred method of swarm prevention
The best way to control American Foulbrood.
• Brood chambers can be reversed if bottom one is empty
• Reverse every seven to 10 days until strong nectar flow begins
• If reversing, do not split brood pattern
• Do you know your Spring nectar and pollen plants? If not, learn them
• Have honey supers ready before nectar flow begins
• If feeding syrup do not put any honey supers on
Check brood frames. Is the queen doing her job?
• Monitor the weather during strong nectar flow – increase or decrease honey supers if necessary
