April in the Apiary

The active season is has arrived. The hives that have survived winter are now building up and  (weather permitting) inspections are well underway. All colonies should now have a queen that is ramping up the egg laying though bee numbers may be falling as many of the winter bees are now dying. It is often worrying to see so many dead bees at the entrance of the hive especially for new beekeepers. However the frames are filling with new brood and once this emerges the hive will rapidly fill with bees. 

However this year the weather has not been kind. Although at the moment temperatures ar rising to about 10°C in the daytime we have had temperatures around or below freezing most nights. I was lucky to inspect my colonies early in the month when temperatures hit 20°C for a day. Some hives had 8 frames of brood so on 2 I put on a super with drawn frames to give them room. It has been over 3 weeks since the inspection so I am glad I did give them room. During the days the bees are flying and all hives are brining in lots of pollen and I assume nectar too. Hefting the hives tells me the weight has gone up si I assume all is well. I can't wait for temperatures to rise so I can inspect again.

 I always mark my queens as I find managing colonies is so much easier with marked queens, even more so at swarming time. It does take a while to learn to find queens easily but this is the best time of year to do it, when there are less bees on the frames. Look into the hive around midday or just after as many bees will be out foraging therefore making it easier to spot the queen. I find it best to look around the edge of the frame first and then work inwards as usually the queen tries to run to the back of the frame as it is darker. If the queens are unmarked it can often take me several inspections to find her but once spotted you wonder how you missed her before! After finding queens a few times the confidence builds making it easier for the next time. Usually the marking from the previous year is still there.  Check the brood pattern is good and for the queen is laying well. It is about now you need to consider if any hives will need re-queening and make the necessary plans.

 Strong colonies will build up quickly in the coming weeks so will need more space when the current super starts filling with bees. If colonies become overcrowded it can cause bees to start swarm preparation much earlier than they would otherwise do so. Colonies with a brood box full of bees should have a super placed above it with a queen excluder inbetween. The super gives bees space during warm days to spread out though the hive. We may have frosts for a few more weeks yet so it may be prudent to leave the queen excluder off until frosts cease to ensure the queen is not secluded from the rest of the bees..

On the topic of swarming, this year I intend to carry out pre-emptive artificial swarm control. I have bought a poly nuc to try along with the 2 wooden nucs I have. When I consider  the bees are nearing queen cell making time I shall artificially swarm the stronger colonies. More on this subject next time as I hope bees will be patient and wait until May. I have also decided to try 14 x 12 brood boxes for 2 of my colonies this year as they build up rapidly. The weather has prevented me from moving the bees into the new boxes as the frames only have foundation and if I put the queen in it will get too cold at night. The OSR will be out soon round me so I hope they can draw out the frames though I doubt they will  provide me with honey this year!

With bees it is almost as if someone turns on the switch. Suddenly so many jobs need doing so be ready and prepared. Have clean kit ready to hand, supers available with requisite frames and brood frames ready with foundation. Try to be ahead of the curve and anticipate what you will need in the coming weeks. And do try and make some nucs during the season – they are great insurance should there be heavy winter losses in 2022. If they become surplus there are always other beekeepers who will be looking out for bees.

Update, 23/4/2022 the rape is in full flower near me and the bees are brining in the nectar, I have even had to put a second super on a couple of hives.