Thoughts on this month in beekeeping by Janine Sparks
APRIL 2026
What a joy it has been to see the bees busy on some of the warmer days, bringing in pollen! Hold onto your hats, the peak season approaches and I note that there have been reports of swarms already this year. Whilst I have not perceived it to be particularly warm, and certainly not warm enough for bees to be drawing comb, there are clearly bees around that think otherwise!
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 be replacing 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 keep the candipolline in situ.
I am picking my time carefully to check on my bees with a close eye on the temperature – we have had a few warm days but the difference between daytime temperatures and nighttime temperatures has been huge. Bear in mind that when you open your hives, you disrupt the temperature and dislodge insulating propolis too – and all of this takes a while for the bees to reinstate, so curb your enthusiasm and wait until the weather is consistently warm without those very cold evenings. I have clear Perspex crown boards in place which enables me to see a bit more than a solid board; I note that Thornes have brought out a new set of kit with removable viewing windows, so you can see what is going on, without actually going in… interesting but I wonder how much you can see through the window!
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. In my first full inspection, I like to replace as much as possible with clean kit, and swap out any old frames that I can; This is hard work, and leads to yet another pile of cleaning up but I think it is worth it! 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.
Despite the reports of early swarms, it is unusual 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, while there are fewer bees. She will then be easier to find when the colony is larger. This year’s colour is White!
- 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 and the appearance of some makes me think they are coming out early – the laurel is flowering and the bluebells are nearly out and I am sure they don’t usually appear until May!
Finally I am looking forward to going to the BBKA spring convention again towards the end of April with my (beekeeping) sister 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!