As the days start getting longer and temperatures slowly rise in early spring, it’s time for beekeepers to start preparing for the upcoming active season with their honey bees. This period marks an important transitional time when colonies begin to rapidly build up their population and food stores in anticipation of the main nectar flow. Here’s an overview of some of the key things beekeepers should be focusing on in early spring apiary management.
Beekeeping in Early Spring
Assessing Colonies Post-Winter
The first major task is evaluating the health and strength of colonies following the winter season. Beekeepers should:
- Check for queen right colonies – Open the hive and look for eggs and young brood which indicates the queen is present and laying normally. Absence of these signs may suggest a dead or failing queen.
- Evaluate food reserves – Lift the back of the hive to estimate remaining honey/pollen stores. Feed 2:1 sugar syrup if lighter than expected.
- Assess cluster size – Estimate the number of bees covering combs. Small clusters under basketball size may need amalgamation or extra insulation.
- Look for diseases – Spot check for varroa mites and symptoms of common diseases like European Foulbrood, Chalkbrood, Sacbrood which tend to appear in early spring.
- Clean bottom boards – Clear out dead bees and debris from entrances and bottom trays to promote hive hygiene.
Feeding Colonies
Supplementary feeding is crucial to support the expanding spring bee population. Focus feeding priorities on:
- Stimulating brood rearing – Feed thin, 1:1 sugar syrup to mimic early light nectar flows. Target gallons per hive weekly depending on need.
- Avoiding starvation – Monitor food stores and feed heavy 2:1 syrup if lightweight. Fondant can also be used short term.
- Providing protein – Supplement pollen sub or patties to ensure adequate protein for breeding. This boosts population growth.
- Promoting comb building – Feed high-carb syrup to support wax making for drones, swarm prep, and drawing foundation.
- Stopping robbing – Only feed in early morning and remove any spilled syrup around hives before bees start flying.
Preventing Swarm Preparations
The increasing daylight in early spring triggers queen bees to begin laying more eggs, expanding the brood nest prior to swarm preparations:
- Create space – Add honey supers or open the brood nest by checkerboarding frames to give the bees room to grow.
- Cull old queens – Replace queens older than 2 years to break the swarm impulse. Let the colony make a new queen.
- Split strong hives – Dividing large colonies prevents congestion and discourages the urge to swarm.
- Check queen cells – Destroy any swarm cells started along the bottom and edges of frames to inhibit swarming.
- Avoid congestion – Reduce entrances to the minimum functional width if robbing is not an issue. This prevents too much traffic flow.
Providing Adequate Ventilation
Proper ventilation keeps hives dry and aired out:
- Prevent moisture buildup – Place insulation or absorbent material like burlap above hive bodies to capture moisture from bee respiration. Replace regularly when damp.
- Allow upper ventilation – Creating a top notch opening underneath the outer lid ventilates warm, moist air from the cluster underneath.
- Clear entrances – Keep bottom board entrances clear of dead bees and prop open the hive entrance reducer to improve air flow.
- Replenish absorbents – Check foil-faced entrance discs or replace damp wood shavings in hive bottom tray to prevent mold.
Stimulating Pollen Collection
Replacing old pollen frames
- Pollen harvesting from flowers significantly increases in early spring.
- Old pollen frames from last season need refreshing to avoid spoilage issues.
- Rotate dark frames of pollen out to a super above a queen excluder to allow cleaning.
Enhancing pollen supplements
- Feed pollen subs and patties to stimulate brood expansion where natural pollen is still scarce.
- Include a pollen supplement with spring syrup to provide a nutritional boost when breeding ramps up.
- Avoid spilling pollen sub on exposed surfaces near hives which can promote robbing.
Performing Spring Varroa Mite Checks
Varroa mites begin to increase significantly as the bee brood area expands, requiring close monitoring:
- Conduct mite drop counts – Screen bottom inserts provide a simple way to sample natural mite fall numbers. Aim to keep average drops under 10-15 mites per day.
- Do alcohol wash assays – This more accurate test estimates infestation rates per 100 bees. Treat if over 2-3 mites detected on average.
- Monitor drone brood – Pull drone pupae to check for developing mites. High mite infestation over just a few cells warrants action.
- Implement IPM control methods – Apply non-chemical controls like drone brood removal early before mite levels escalate out of control.
Inspecting Hives for Disease
Cool, wet spring weather fosters bee diseases. Stay alert for symptoms:
Nosema
- Nosema thrives when bees are confined. Watch for spotting on hives and bees unable to fly back to the entrance. Send samples for analysis if suspected.
Chalkbrood
- Hard chalky masses of dead brood at hive entrances may signal Chalkbrood spore issues. Isolate any infected frames for sterilization.
European & American Foulbrood
- Off-colored, sunken brood cells with odors or perforated cappings indicate serious bacterial disease requiring action. Call your apiary inspector for confirmation.
Reversing Brood Chambers
A brood reversal in early spring helps expand the brood nest by:
- Stopping swarm prep – It interrupts the honey dome buildup above the brood area used before making swarm cells.
- Expanding laying space – Shifting the brood bottom box to the top provides the queen ample active comb to lay in just overhead.
- Spreading brood pheromone – Alternating brood between the two boxes widely disperses queen “footprint” pheromone regulating colony organization and cohesion.
- Balancing food distribution – Mixes lighter honey stores below with lighter pollen stores above where increased brood is needed.
- Improving insulative nest – Positions the dense brood cluster low in the stack where temperatures are more stable.
Providing Proper Insulation
Maintaining adequate insulation helps colonies conserve resources:
- Wrap upper entrances – Apply insulating material like wood chips or straw tightly around upper hive openings to contain heat.
- Install thermal wraps – Custom hive wraps with R-8+ insulation value help conserve colony heat and food energy. Black tar paper facing boosts solar gain.
- Use winter entrance discs – Discs made of rigid insulation with just a small bee opening prevent drafts from entering the hive.
- Add moisture protection – Provide rain shelter by constructing a simple awning, tarp, or top cover above migratory hive lids.
Going into Winter with Strong Colonies
Building robust spring populations sets colonies up for winter success by:
- Allowing maximum foraging potential during spring nectar flows to accumulate food stores
- Supporting peak drone and queen rearing for colony reproduction via summer swarming
- Ensuring adequate winter “fat bee” populations going into colder months
- Minimizing stress on the colony by preventing diseases and parasites
- Maintaining the overall fitness needed to thrive long term
These key aspects of early spring beekeeping management help establish colonies focused on rapid growth and prosperity after their period of winter confinement. By taking the time to assess and support hives at this sensitive transitional point, beekeepers give their bees the best shot at developing into booming, productive colonies ready to capitalize on the major nectar flows just around the corner. Staying on top of springtime hive issues prepares bees both physically and population-wise for the demands of the intense foraging seasons ahead.
