FEBRUARY 2025
1. What is going on in the hive?
By now, your colonies will be planning ahead when they will need new bees to replace the overwintering bees that will die out – so colonies need to plan around 6 weeks ahead, bearing in mind that typically a worker bee takes 21 days to emerge, and will be busy with housework and guarding duties for a further 21 days until she turns to foraging duties. So an egg laid now will become a useful forager in 6 weeks’ time when it will be mid March and spring will hopefully be springing!
With this in mind, the queen will start laying if she hasn’t already, so there will be an increased need for warmth in the hive, and extra mouths to feed, at the same time as a declining of foraging bees as the old bees die out, and some chilly weather. So always a tricky time and a nervous one for me!
The weather has been pretty chilly of late, which I am pleased to see, as we had next to none last year, and the forecast is for more cold weather ahead according to the weather man yesterday!
2. Check your hives
It is much too early to do a full inspection of your hives of course and if the forecast is correct, I cannot see a temperature ahead that may allow the bees to fly. So the most I am doing is keeping them topped up with fondant, making sure my colonies are upright and that the entrance is not blocked with dead bees! I have just relocated a colony to a neighbour’s garden, and my very excited neighbour has used his heat imaging camera to make sure the colony is still alive …. Hmm I might have to invest in one of those myself!
3. Get ready for silly season
If you haven’t done so yet, it really is time now to get all the kit out of the bee shed and see what you are missing for the season ahead. You will need frames made up with fresh foundation, spare hives or nucs at the ready. So this is just an audit at this stage, but make a plan to get things ready to go, you will be glad you did! I am making this my focus over the next couple of weeks, having just booked up for the BBKA spring convention in April. Any kit in need of replacement will be bought there are trade show prices!
4. Check the larder
I had a wander round my garden this week to see what forage is around for my bees. Catkins, a few snowdrops, mahonia, a few early crocus and a periwinkle in a sheltered spot! So there is forage around if the bees are able to get out! The sight of these and the ever lighter evenings gives me so much hope that spring is on its way!
