New Colony…!!!

Last weekend I got the New Colony for my hive to replace the one that did not survive over the winter. The next day was warm and sunny and in the afternoon I stood by the hive and watched as 100’s (maybe 1,000’s — hard to judge with so much activity coming and going) flew around the entrance

However the last few days have been cooler and damp and yesterday when I looked could not see any… hunkered down I trust? (hope!). Will keep an eye on them each day for the next while to make sure they are venturing out. At least there is lots of vegetation in bloom even now… from trees, shrubs, flowers and weeds (lots of dandelions anyway!).

The new Bees came with a new Queen: the new batch of Queens came from Brazil and after they introduced her into a selection of workers they brought the new hive section out and replaced that part of the old hive. The hope is that they will accept her and continue building the hive and going about their business.

Spring Tasks for Aviaries:

Some things that Beekeepers must take care of in the early Spring…

• Keep feeding the bees if necessary. They will have consumed most of their honey stores over winter, and you must make sure they have food until ‘blooming flowers’ are present to provide nectar.
• Prepare an empty hive or two in case some of the bees swarm and are looking for new homes. If you don’t do this, you could lose bees that travel elsewhere. Spring is the time when bees swarm and travel.
• Harvest honey from an established hive: when flowers are blooming, harvest any honeycomb not used over the winter.
• Inspect the hives for a solid brood pattern, and if you suspect the queen has died, replace her.
• If you have more than one hive, even out the populations so the number of bees is relatively equal across the hives.

Spring for Hives:

Because things are starting to bloom this is the time of year that the regular beekeepers start moving their hives in to desired places, such as farms and orchards, etc. You probably find that most Apiaries are located in farming districts so they don’t have to move hives too far.

Early spring is a fragile time for bees! There are definitely a few things starting to bloom now, our spring cycle usually starts with alders, willows, maples, coltsfoot, and finally dandelions. Once the dandelions hit, one can count the hives as surviving winter or not. The alders and willows don’t provide nectar, but the maples do and all are important early pollen sources if the weather is good enough for it to be gathered. The bees do pretty well when the maples bloom, but if the weather isn’t good they won’t be able to get out to collect it.

The pollen coming allows the colony to start the spring turn over, which is a very risky time for bees. As the winter bees begin to rear more brood, they also begin to die off. It’s like they trade their longevity to rear a new brood. And if something interrupts the turn over it can cause a colony to weaken significantly.

Next I’ll post about moving Hives….