Spring is the time we start thinking about Growing Degree Days (GDD) and what natural sources of nutrition are available for our bees.
Check out this calendar from The Ohio State University and see what is available or what will soon be available in your area. The Ohio State University Phenology Calendar
March: Status check your bees. Is emergency feeding needed.? Many hives are lost this time of year due to early spring starvation. Are bees alive? If not, plan to either split or purchase.
Before mid-month (Have you seen two dandelions?) Dandolines are the first sign of food for the bees. Clean the bottom board, reverse boxes, and place honey supers on.
Maple Bloom By J. Favaron
Maple trees bloom early and Dandelion is one of the first flowers to bloom, but there are a variety of other sources of food for our bees.
Spring is the time to install packages. You may decide to split a larger hive and add a
Installing a new package of bees.
new queen or start a new hive allowing the bees to make their new queen.
Queen in a Queen Cage
Spring also brings swarming time. Swarming is a natural process. It is the colony’s way of reproducing;
Swarm
making more colonies. In May set up a nuc and split your hives. You can also set up swarm traps.
