Bee Alert ~ March: feeding increases fast

There’s been a welcome rise in temperature recently, forecast to continue into early March. Bees are flying on warmer afternoons, but it’ll be a while before we open our hives.

With brood increasing, it’s more important than ever to keep an eye on stores. I’ve got fondant on all my colonies and, through March, the speed with which colonies consume this increases rapidly. It’s also worth ensuring hives are secured against spring storms.

Now is the time to check equipment and prepare frames for the coming season.

New beekeepers often get in touch to ask about buying their first colony. The key is to be patient. New colonies with 2026 queens are unlikely to be ready before early June. Sometimes members will have overwintered colonies for sale but, if purchasing, you should be sure that they contain a laying queen which hasn’t become a drone layer over winter. Beware about buying in bees in Spring as these are likely to be headed by imported queens (always best to buy local).

Let’s hope sunny days and the nectar flow are not far off!

John Wilkinson 🐝