This is a hazardous month for our colonies and without opening up the hive we can’t know for sure what is happening inside. Resist the temptation -but observe from outside.
The amount of daylight is increasing every day even if the ambient temperature continues to take dips. Some workers may be tempted to make foraging flights in addition to ‘cleansing’ and removal of dead bees. If they bring in pollen, this may fool the queen into an early start of egg laying. The worker bees then must look after the nursery and this can lead to the rapid deletion of stores. Look at the varroa board to see if uncapping debris is accumulating.
Heft the hive to see if the colony needs feeding. This is a bit of an art rather than a science. Can you really remember how heavy that hive was when you last hefted it?
If there has been no activity at the front of a hive on a mild day when the sun has warmed up the hive entrance, alarm bells may be ringing. This may be the exception to the rule of leaving well alone. Lift the roof and look for evidence of activity. I leave a piece of perspex over the hole in the crown board to look through. The bees may of course have clustered away from this source of colder air. If you have first inspected the varroa board you will know where the cluster is. Quickly lift the crown board – are the bees where you expect them to be. If all is quiet, have a sniff. Any unpleasant smells may indicate a problem. Perhaps the smell of mould or worse still a smell like acetic acid which catches your throat like vinegar. You need advice!! More than I can give here.
Jobs for the month
Now is the time to check that stored supers have not been infested by wax moth. If you have not already done so, get the blow torch out and clean up the corners of the boxes. If there is wax damage on frames then remove all signs of the moths. Better still, remove the frames from the box.
