The winter months are almost behind us and spring is here. As a beekeeper, this means it is spring maintenance time. Read here for maintenance tips!
Don’t forget to tend to your beehives when you make your spring maintenance checklist. The transition to spring is one of the most important times for your beehives. Not only does the overall population of your bees begin to grow as the weather gets warmer, but the hives will need some clean up and maintenance from the cold winter. For a glance at some spring maintenance tasks for beekeeping, continue reading below. This way you won’t forget and can get a head start on all your beekeeping chores.
Assess and Fix Any Winter Damages
Make sure nothing became damaged throughout the winter. Any problems or issues that might be present are something you, as the beekeeper, need to address before moving along on your spring maintenance. Not only should you fix the problem, but you need to make sure that everything is good to go for the following steps necessary to transition your hives for the season ahead.
If any part of your beekeeping equipment broke, make sure that you place an order for a new part right away! That way you can get it switched out and back to new as soon as possible.
Feed Your Bees
After tending to any serious winter damage, you must feed the bees. If the winter was very harsh, this is more important than ever. You can feed them with sugar water and any honey you have left over from the previous year. You want to make sure you’re supplying your bees with exactly what they need.
Replace the Queen
This isn’t something that every beekeeper has to do in the springtime—but some do. When you check your hive and look it over, you might find that your queen bee is dead. If this is the case, you’ll need to replace her. Luckily, you don’t have to get an entire new colony, just a new queen bee. Make sure you do your research and follow the steps on how to successfully add her to the hive.
These spring maintenance tasks for beekeeping are only a few of the many that you need to do. However, it’s a good place to start. Remember, don’t postpone any spring maintenance tasks—because before you know it, summer will be here.