Apiary Notes (February 2025) by Wally Thrale

We are at the critical point in winter with our colonies regards to food. If a colony has made it to this stage of winter it is likely that the queen is now laying eggs in greater numbers each day. This means the colony will now start to consume more of its stores so it is important to ensure it has sufficient stores to last until April.

Rather than heft a hive I prefer to take off the roof and lift the brood box as it gives me a better indication of the weight of stores that are left.

If a colony is light then it should be given a slab of fondant. Make a hole on one side of the block with a hive tool (the size of a 50p coin or slightly larger) and place the block directly over the bees. It may be necessary to use a shallow eke depending on depth of roof etc to accommodate the block. The Association stockist’s have plenty of fondant available for members.

At the time of writing the temperature outside is 4c but it is forecast to be in double figures by the weekend, possibly as high as mid-teens. So sugar syrup can be fed as daytime temperatures are on the rise. Small tray feeders are ideal for this job but do top them up if necessary – colonies will consume their stores quickly in the coming weeks.

Looking at my bees recently some of them have come through winter quite strongly. At some point in March these colonies will need a super to allow for bee numbers. However, place the queen excluder and super above the crown board as the bees will probably go down into the brood box overnight to maintain heat for the brood. Using this configuration causes less disturbance as the crown board remains in place keeping the heat in. The super can be used during the day if the brood box becomes too warm or congested. Later, when the daytime temperature is higher, move the queen excluder to its position on top of the brood box.