February in the apiary

At last there is normally a DBKA meeting this month. It always seems a long time since the Honey Show and Christmas "Do".

In the apiary the conditions found in February are not much different than from those in January. However although the days and nights are still particularly cold, there are more spells of warm, sunny weather that will affect your bee’s behaviour. This year is not easy as the odd warm days have the bees flying  but the flowers are nor really producing forage. However some trees are showing pollen on catkins and the snowdrops are starting to flower.

The biggest danger at this time of year is starvation, so heft (weigh) your hives weekly to check that they have enough stores on board. A new beekeeper may find it difficult to judge stores by hefting. An alternative method is to use luggage scales. Lift one side and then and the other and add the two weights together. A winter hive with bees, one brood box, floor and roof will weigh about 44 lbs, any extra weight is food. There should still be 10 – 15 lbs food left in the hive. If not you should add supplementary feed. It is still too cold to use sugar syrup but a patty of white sugar fondant (without additives) can be added above the brood cluster. Inspect weekly and replace if necessary. I personally use dry white sugar above the crown board, but each beekeeper has their own preferences.

Another task is to make sure that the entrance to the hive is not blocked with dead bees. Bees die at all times of the year, but in cold weather, the undertaker bees are reluctant to remove dead from the hive. If it snows, ensure that snow is not blocking the entrance, as bees may still want to leave the hive.

On warm days, for the bees this is above 50°F/10°C, the forager bees will leave the hive looking for supplies especially for pollen. While the number of eggs being laid by the queen is increasing, this is the restricted by cold weather as adult bees have to keep the capped and uncapped brood warm, about 90° and above. This restricts the queen from laying in areas of comb that cannot be easily covered by enough bees.

 When watching the landing boards you can see there is now more activity when there is a warm spell. Many bees are taking cleansing flights when it is warm enough and dead bees are removed from the hive. Activity significantly increases at the entrance around 1-2 pm each day, so that is the best time to observe. A good sign is always when you see some foragers bringing in pollen as this can be an indication that the queen is laying. Pollen is in high demand as the bees need the protein from the pollen to make bee bread to feed their larva. They combine the fresh pollen with the residual capped honey from last year to feed their brood. 

Bee numbers will be increasing as January’s brood emerges. In early February, the adult population may be around 10,000 bees, but by the end of the month, it will likely be closer to 18,000.

If the weather is bad and has been wet and windy, check that the ground and the hives are not waterlogged and rooves have not been dislodged. If you have not strapped down your hives a brick or some other weight can be placed on the roof to prevent its displacement. Also check vermin haven’t entered the hives (i.e. mouse guards are still in place) and woodpeckers have not damaged the hive bodies.

February may present beekeepers the first opportunity to take a look inside their hives. But only do so on days that are above 50 degrees. Try to disrupt the hives as little as possible and preferable do so just before a warm spell. Often all that is needed is the removal of the cover board to check the number of frames covered by bees. Remember that opening the hives will reduce the temperature inside and it will take the bees many hours to return it to an optimal temperature.

February is a great time to prepare new locations for bees by levelling off ground and setting up hive stands. Moving bees is always best before bees start flying. Do this earlier in the month rather than later.

If you don’t have all the equipment you need for the new season, now is the time to look to purchase or to assemble boxes and frames. You can even paint the hives that have bees in them on days below 55°. I also prepare bait boxes/swarm traps ready for the fast build-up of bees in the spring, when swarming often starts to be seen.

If nothing else now is a good time to read books and prepare for the fast approaching season ahead.