Remember, A Divide Starts in March ( click on photo to enlarge)

Notice the wax paper scraps, this is what is left from the emergency feeding last Jan. Had I not done this the hive would have starved. It needed syrup but should build up enough to divide.

Note the bees eating the pollen patties on the edges of the patty.

A pail of syrup saved the hive from starving.

March is here and it is almost time to start our spring management.
What we do now will help the bees build up for a possible divide in May.
Around mid March the bees will be given a pail of 1:1 sugar water or High Fructose Corn Syrup.
Feeding syrup will stimulate the hive simulating a nectar flow. Don't over-feed. We want to keep the bees alive not plug up the brood nest with syrup.
The queen should start increasing her egg output.
With the increased amount of brood in the hive the remainder of pollen stored from last year will be depleted quickly.
Adding a patty of pollen substitute is now crucial for brood development. A 1 lb patty is about the right size to be given to an over-wintered colony.
Pollen patties are made by mixing pollen substitute with sugar syrup. Patties are mixed to a consisting of cookie dough and let stand overnight. The next day it should have thickened. Mix more syrup for that cookie dough consistency.
Remember the pollen substitute must be mixed with syrup or the bees won't take it.
Put a large spoonful on a sheet of wax paper. Fold the wax paper in half like a sandwich.
The wax paper stays on the patty to keep it moist.
If you don't want to make a pollen patty commercially made pollen patties can be purchased, some have natural pollen mixed in with them. Commercially made patties will mold less than a patty made with a sugar-water mixture.
Put the patty on the top bars where the bees are clustered, almost always it will be just under the inner cover. Tear open the patty a little bit exposing the pollen sub so the bees can get to it.
The bees will consume the patty and chew up the wax paper.
Give the bees another patty 10 - 14 days later or if it is moldy or hard and dried out.
This should get our bees to warmer temperatures of April.
Other Management:
Clean out and close up any dead hives. This will save any unused honey for new packages.
Order package bees now if we need to fill any empty hives.
Assemble and paint any new wooden ware.

Bee Starvation Due To Extreme Cold

I will be looking at my bees the weekend of Feb 10 - 11. The temperatures look like they may be in the 20's.
A quick peek to see if they survived this bitter cold snap. Emergency feeding with granulated sugar if they need it.
Bees will start rearing brood this time of year and will not leave the brood. If the cold lasts for an extended time, the bees will consume the food around the cluster. Being they won't leave the brood, starvation occurs even though food stores are a frame away.
What does starvation look like? Starvation looks like a dead cluster of bees with many bees stuck in the cells on the frames, with their butts looking out at you. They were trying to get the last scraps of food.
If you have a dead hive clean it out and close up the entrances. Don't try to clean out the bees out of the cells, the new bees will do this.
If the bees did not survive I will order new package bees immediately. Package bees will sell out quickly this year if starvation is widespread.

Emergency Feeding (click on photo to enlarge)

I looked at some of my bees today and noticed that a few of the hives were low on food stores. I didn’t want to start feeding syrup yet because this would promote brood rearing. With cold weather on the horizon, excessive brood could lead to colony starvation. I opted for feeding granulated sugar. Here’s how you can feed your bees during the cold winter months without promoting brood rearing.

Remove the covers off the top of the hive. The cluster of bees should move to the top of the hive when they are low on food stores.

Smoke the bees and lay a single sheet of wax paper on top of the frames.

I made a 1-1/2" shim to sit on the top of the box.

Pour granulated sugar across the hive on top of the wax paper. Heap it up as necessary. The bees will eat the sugar and it will not be stimulated for brood rearing. They will chew the wax paper while consuming the sugar. It is easy to peek later on to see if the food is gone or not. If it is gone or there is just a little left, give them more wax paper and sugar.

Remember to leave access to the sugar never cover all the frames with wax paper.

Being the sugar is under the moisture board and inner cover it will moisten by the bee's respiration. I usually throw a little snow on part of the sugar to give them water right away. Put the covers back on (inner cover, moisture board, winter cover, and, finally, telescoping cover).

Waiting For Spring

Winter is here.
Not much happening on the bee front.
Now is the time to start thinking of the coming bee season. Equipment review, ordering package bees, lining up queens for spring divides should be our current goals.
Our last year successes and failures should be examined. We want to learn from our mistakes and continue with our successes.
Currently the weather has been great for bee survival. Hopefully there has been no brood rearing going on. Brood rearing this time of year can lead to spring starvation. A little cooler weather should tone this down, hopefully January will see some temps in the 20's.