This month we have been focusing on preparing the bees for the active season ahead. We’ve checked again for stores to make sure they have enough to go into spring, adding HiveAlive fondant this time to any that looked like they might need a bit more. This is a really useful patty in that it is nice and thin so it can sit under the crownboard on top of the frames without needing to be squashed down. The protein patties we put on the hives in February seem to have gone down a storm as well with the bees munching their way through them, as you can see in this photo.

We have also been preparing ourselves and the apiary for the next few months by putting out any extra equipment we have in anticipation of doing artificial swarms. This means when we have to carry out tasks like this, we don’t have to go searching for equipment in the cabin, we will have it to hand right there in the apiary.

All the hives have been graded, depending on how many bees it looks like the colony has so far. At this time of year, of course, we don’t lift out frames and go through the hive as it is too cold and it would perhaps do more harm than good. All we do is: one person hefts the hive whilst the other person looks underneath and quickly counts how many frames are covered with bees. This also gives us a chance to clear the floor of debris and make sure the entrance is clear. Each hive is then allocated a colour code so that we can monitor their progress over the coming months. The aim is to go from red to yellow to green!

As an aside, we also found a whole heap of these little critters hiding up in the roof! We love being able to be outside with the bees and all this other wildlife that we come across during our inspections.

We are really looking forward to getting going with the bees this month, albeit with a sense of trepidation about what the season will bring. Fingers crossed for some good weather, healthy colonies and successful queen rearing.