Jobs for March

Jobs to carry out this month: 

• Watch the hive for pollen and flying bees.

• Check stores and feed if necessary.

• Remove mouse guards and woodpecker protection.

• Carry out your first initial inspection if the weather is warm enough, minimum 14ºC. Use a cover cloth to avoid chilling the bees. Have a quick check for a regular brood pattern, some stores and that the bees seem happy, then close up. 

• End of month if weather good do a full bee health inspection, before start be clear on what you are looking for - check out this month's tip on bee health.

• Look out and test for nosema in weak colonies.

• Be ready to put the queen excluder on if plants appear to be ahead of the normal season.

• Make up new brood and super frames and build spare hives (if have none).

• Set up bait hive(s) – swarming season is almost here.

• Start your new season record sheets. Do they contain all the relevant information you’ll want for this year and to allow planning for next?

• Put out Asian Hornet monitoring traps and check them daily to release any bycatch. Make sure you have the Asian Hornet Watch app loaded on your phone.

 

Frequency of apiary visits – move towards weekly (weather allowing)