How to prepare your beehive for spring

When spring approaches, warmer daytime temperatures and morning freezes alternate. Whatever the temperature, it is always important to pay sufficient attention to the bees and to prepare the hives for spring. Jump into action and get your beehives ready for spring. Nectarist offers you three pre-spring tips that can help you with this.

 

1. Don't open the hives just yet. 

It might be tempting to check the hives for the healthiness of the bees. Don't, because opening the beehives involves heat loss and breaking the valuable propolis seal that bees produce to avoid drafts. Use your bottom slide to estimate the health and size of your colony. This way you can also see how much food is left. 

 

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3. Replenish your food supply 

Do you believe the bees might end up with a food shortage? Prepare a few packs of feed dough, such as Fondabee and Nektapoll, to feed your bees. You can easily administer the dough through the feeding hole in the cover plate. Just make a cut in the plastic bag and place it on the feeding hole. The bees will come and get it whenever they consider it necessary. You should definitely not open the case all the way. 

 

3. Replace your bottom 

The bees have been inside their hives all winter, so much of their waste has ended up at the bottom. It is good beekeeping practice to replace your bottoms with clean ones every spring. Working as hygienically as possible is one of the most important principles of a successful beekeeper. 

 

Do you have any other pre-spring tips for your fellow beekeepers? Let us know! Suggestions are also welcome via [email protected]. 

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