What Do Bees Do When It's Hot?

Spring is more or less upon us! 

This is the time to watch your bees closely - the queen's laying rate is increasing as the day length increases and the colony is building. If the bees cannot get out to forage, they can quickly run short on stores. Feed if you Need. Sugar is cheaper than bees! You're better off still feeding fondant if the weather is cold, but syrup can be used if the temperature is above 14 degrees.

You may be itching to have a look insidet the boxes, but you should only open a hive if the temperature is above 14 degrees. It takes a LOT of energy to keep the brood at 35 degrees, every time you open the boxes the temperature inside will plummet. 

Observe your bees outside the hive. How active are they? Are they bringing in Pollen? Put in your floor tray and have a look - is there chewed wax from them opening stores? Any sign of Varroa? How many lines of detritus can you see? This is a good indication of colony size.

This is a chance to tidy up the apiary, clean your equipment ready for use, build any boxes and frames that you may need (don't wax them until you need them) and generally get organised ready for the busy months to follow.