HONEY FLOW STARTING

With the change in weather to sunshine and warmer temperatures the honey flow has started.  Make sure you have installed honey supers on all over wintered hives.  I have been seeing several filled frame on the stronger hives.  Of course, on new start up hives you should delay adding the honey supers until the bees have filled 80% of the upper brood box with brood or honey.

Although the dandelion bloom has waned honeysuckle and dutch clover are now making an appearance.  In my area the black locust trees have yet to start leafing out, so that flow will be delayed.  The black locust nectar flow can be huge or near zero; large variations from year to year. Basswood and other clover honey flows will be coming in turn.

With temperatures getting up to 80F it is time to remove the entrance reducers.

It can be very startling how quickly the hive population can build up.  Good queens can lay 1500 to 2000 eggs per day.  If the weather is right and the nurse bee work force sufficient to feed and warm the larvae, the hive population can double or triple in a month. Overcrowding and a good honey flow can trigger the urge to swarm.  Be on swarm watch through the end of June.  

Late April and June is also the prime time to rear queens.  Setting up a queenless nuc (similar to a walk away split) is a good way to increase your apiary size or to make a spare queen.  If they do not make a new queen you can always recombine the bee back into the original hive.