The start of February was seasonably chilly here in Lincolnshire and the bees were still nicely clustered up. Together with a bit of hefting, a quick peek under the roof gave an idea as to whether any colonies needed more fondant but luckily everyone had plenty to go at.

After a few warmer days, bees were spotted out and about foraging on crocuses, which has given them an early pollen boost.

To supplement this, I have given each colony a quarter portion of Nektapoll to keep them going. This is a pollen substitute that encourages the queen to lay. This year I made the decision to cut the Nektapoll into quarters before I went out to the bees to save doing it at the hive which can make the process much slower, especially with bees buzzing round your head.  I have given a small amount to start with this year as in previous years I have found that some colonies do not take as much as others and it is a shame to waste it.

As the month has gone on, the weather has turned unseasonably mild and bees have definitely been out foraging. This colony in particular was enjoying the sunshine, bringing in a variety of pollen which was great to see. After the photo below was taken, I removed the mouseguard as there was so much congestion that the pollen was dropping off some of the bees’ legs.

Going in to March, I will be keeping a close eye on stores in all of our hives. On my rounds doling out Nektapoll, I came across some hives that I think might get hungry if this mild weather continues. As the colonies expand, they start to eat through their stores and the last thing I want to happen is for them to grow to a size they can’t support and starve just before the season gets going. Here’s hoping this is the start of spring!