APRIL 2025
What gorgeous weather we have had recently, and I have done a quick inspection of my colonies. Some going very well and a couple …. sadly dead. They had been doing ok at the end of last year but on investigation earlier this month when I would have expected them to be flying, I found tell-tale mouse-shaped holes in the brood box. My fault for not putting mouse guards on. I didn’t think I was prone to mice in my garden but have always put mouseguards on but I didn’t this winter and I have paid the price.
I have spent today dismantling the ex colonies, rendering wax and scorching the boxes, ready for repopulation from a split or a swarm hopefully.
But on a more cheerful note, what a joy it is to see the bees busy on a warm day, assiduously bringing in pollen!
1. What is going on in the hive?
The queen will be laying well now, and your workers should be busy bringing in nectar and pollen. New bees will have replaced the old girls from last year, and the hive will be building up as the weather gets warmer.
2. Check your hives
It is still important to keep checking stores – whilst there will be lovely fresh pollen and nectar coming into the hive, there will be an increasing number of mouths to feed. If there is a cold or wet spell, the colony could still struggle to survive. You can feed fondant, heavy syrup or a dampened bag of sugar, I err on the side of caution and if I think they need it, I give them something.
I am picking my time carefully to check on my bees with a close eye on the temperature – it was warm today but with a chilly wind so I left well alone. The nights are still cold also, so I am trying not to dislodge too much of the propolis insulating the hives. When it is warm enough to check your hives, have a good think beforehand and make a plan depending on what you see. Make sure all of your equipment is ready to go – some new frames in case there is an opportunity to swap out some dirty old frames, queen excluders, spare supers in case they are needed. Make sure you have plenty of time set aside to undertake your first check so that you can deal with whatever you are faced with.
It is early for swarming as yet, but it is not too early to have a plan!
I will be planning to do my pre-emptive Demaree procedure as I have in the past, but I will probably wait until May to do so, as the conditions need to be right for the bees to draw out new comb. I will take off a couple of splits as part of that procedure to repopulate my empty hives.
In your regular inspections:
- Do you see the queen or evidence of the queen (eggs, larvae brood in all stages)
- What does the brood pattern look like? If it is patchy it could indicate that the queen is failing, or a brood disease.
- Look out for evidence of disease, maybe refresh your memory on what to look out for on the BBKA website
- What is the temperament like – do you need to requeen that angry colony?
- Do you see drones (probably a bit early as yet)
- Is the queen marked – if not, now is a good time to mark her. She will then be easier to find when the colony is larger. This year’s colour is BLUE!
- Are there sufficient stores – nectar and pollen
- Is there enough room? If not add another super!
Don’t forget to keep records updated!
3. Check the Larder
Well spring is underway and I see so many new flowers appearing in my garden and elsewhere. There are too many to mention them all but here are my personal favourites!
Photos (c) Janine Sparks
Finally I am looking forward to going to the BBKA spring convention again at the end of this week, with my (beekeeping) sister (now a Master beekeeper and a seasonal bee inspector, no less!) who lives near Harper Adams University in Telford. I am looking forward to learning new things, chatting to other beekeepers, and getting in the mood for the forthcoming bee season. I will do a report of the convention for the May newsletter.
Enjoy your bees!