Spring is coming!!

Spring is finally starting to show in Seattle and I know we are all excited about our colonies making it through winter, but just a reminder to new (less than 4 years) beekeepers to monitor your colony reserves this time of year. Beeks call March the "Death March" as many colonies die this month due to poor keeping practices.

As you may know, honey consumption strongly picks up in March as the colony begins preparing and caring for new brood. If your bees don't have many reserves left, you NEED to feed soon to keep them from starving. This typically would be 2:1 sugar water if you are not seeing freezing temps regularly. Of course temp and climate play a role in what you feed here, so feed accordingly (ex. sugar water when above 45 degrees, honey if lower).

This image from the University of Montana beekeeping program you can see the dramatic honey consumption increase in this GRAPH at the end of Feb through March.

If your colonies are low (less than 10 lbs), you need to feed until the nectar flow starts in your area.