Monitoring Space and Honey Stores
By: Chari Elam
No matter the time of year, determining the “bee-to-box ratio” tops the list of tasks required for beekeepers.
What does that really mean? It means matching the number of bees to available box space, simple as that. James Elam will say, “Match the hatch.” That’s an old fly fishing term referring to the bait they use, but you get the point.
My main focus leading into early spring is population management and watching honey stores. Depending on your geographical location, the climate can literally be the polar opposite (pun unintended) within a few hundred miles during the first few months of the year. While northern states are still knee-deep in snow, the central and southern US can be jumping back and forth from cold nights to warm afternoons, causing larger population growth than nature—or we—is ready for. The problem with brood building up too early is the lack of continual, nature-provided resources and, more importantly, the lack of bees available to forage and take care of the ever-growing nest. Because of this, feeding protein supplements to prevent starving or underfeeding developing larvae is super important. My recommendation is to feed Global pollen patties. This product is high in crude protein and is consumed rapidly.
Monitoring Space
Fun Fact: For every frame covered in capped brood, once emerged, those bees will occupy three frames of space. Keeping that in mind, by mid- to late February, some regions will need to manage space within weeks, if not days. Unfortunately, it’s too early to make splits, but you can easily add space by utilizing one of these methods:
· Verify your bees haven’t moved up and abandoned the bottom box. If this happens, simply reverse the boxes, opening up space for the queen to lay and the hive to expand.
· Add a box if your bees occupy more than 75% of the space. Whether you add another deep or a medium is up to you. Just giving them added temporary space is all you’re concerned about at the moment. Utilizing drawn comb frames is ideal if possible. Once drones are flying, queens can be made and splits can get underway.
· Share brood frames with weaker colonies. On a warm day, simply move a frame (bees and all) to the weaker hive(s), then replace that frame with drawn comb. This can be a frame from the weaker hive if that hive is healthy (no sign of disease). Tip: We do this all year. It’s called balancing your beeyard. It’s super simple and can buy you time until split season gets here.
The key is to prevent early swarms. Grow the space to fit the bees as they expand.
What if I have more space than bees?
This is equally important to manage as running out of space. Too much space is an issue because it can result in the colony’s inability to keep itself warm and control moisture and pests. Typically, you would see this in a small or weak colony. Upon inspection, you’ll notice that a double deep box may no longer be necessary. Remember the bee-to-box ratio? That can go both ways! Simply pull off the top (or bottom) box on a warm day if one of them isn’t being utilized. You may need to move some frames around, taking the best of what you have and combining it into one box. If you still have resources remaining, freeze them and store them accordingly.
The key to February beekeeping is to monitor space and food reserves. Feed if necessary and decrease or increase space when needed. Remember, if left to solve these problems on their own, bees will swarm with too little space, be taken over by small hive beetles or wax moths with too much space, starve with no food, or abscond in search of a better environment. Take action and stay in prevention mode.
Monitoring Honey Stores
Prevent starving bees by monitoring honey stores using the tilt test.
Simply lift the back of the hive with your hive tool or your hand and get a feel for what honey stores remain. Honey weighs approximately 10 pounds per frame. In February you should maintain a minimum of 20 pounds of stored honey.
Early spring is prime time for starvation. New bees growing and emerging require a lot more food. Warming days result in more bees flying but not enough forage or time to replace what they are consuming. The key is to recognize this and be prepared to supplement. Remember those frames of honey you stored in the freezer? Now’s the time to use them! Thaw them out and start giving them back.
Placement of those honey frames matters. If you have a good population, placement isn’t as crucial, but smaller, weaker colonies need that food right next to the bulk of the bees.
You can also feed 2:1 syrup, but know that it takes a warm day (above 55 degrees) for them to consume it. This is one of the reasons beekeepers like feeding Stan’s Soft Sugar Bricks through February and early March. It contains protein and carbohydrates, plus various natural, beneficial ingredients, with the added benefits of Complete.
SPRING SPLITS CLASS
Whether in person or virtually, we invite you to join our EXPERT TEAM of beekeepers to learn how to effectively and safely split your spring hives!
This class covers all the basics in making splits, both inside the classroom and in an apiary.
Topics covered for this popular class include:
- Ordering queens for your split
- How to prepare your hive to split
- Hive strength requirements for splitting
- Making the split
- Feeding and installing a queen
- To move or not to move
- Post-split care
- Queen acceptance and more
Two in-person locations to choose from. Check out all of our beekeeping classes.
