It is time to check the bees

Now is the time to check colonies to make sure they are dead or alive. All this next week the daytime temperatures are in the 40's. It is warm enough for a quick check. A quick check should reveal ample honey stores and at least four frames of bees. Colonies that are weak could possibly be in the need of a package of bees to get them up to strength for the summer nectar flow. Waiting to long before checking colonies may make getting package bees to replace deadouts hard to get as package bee suppliers sell out their loads.