At last, the weather is being reasonably kind to us. Early inspections on some strong colonies have revealed multiple frames of brood - very encouraging; with the caveat that more bees need more food, still relatively scarce so early in the season. No harm in giving a spring boost with 1:1 syrup, although ‘home’ colonies have overwintered with good food stores.

There is a risk of starvation for colonies that were weak in stores going into winter, as it is ‘now’ that the demand on stores increases as queens become active.

Spring inspections should include a specific disease inspection to ensure that any issues are dealt with early in the year. Colonies benefit from a spring clean, with component scorch and change-out for wooden builds.

We shouldn’t rush into marking and clipping queens so early, as they are sometimes rejected by the colony following the human touch!

Remember that one strong colony is usually better than two weaker ones, so colony uniting could be beneficial.

That’s all for now… Best wishes to beekeepers far and wide - good luck for a healthy and happy beekeeping year!

Think like a bee…!