Hives in Maine Winter 2012. Photo Carol Cottrill
- Renew your MSBA membership. You don’t want to miss a single issue of The Bee Line, our printed journal, do you?
- Order bees in package or nuc’s for late April-early May arrival.
- Check wintering colonies for honey reserves by hefting the hive.
Note that the “heft the hive” method works as long as the bees haven’t chimneyed up the center leaving a bunch of (heavy) honey frames on the sides. With the crazy weather so far this fall/winter it might be a good idea to take a peak under the outer cover to see if the bees are looking up at you through the hole in the inner cover even though the hive is “heavy”.
- Brush off the entrances to assure good ventilation
This monthly post is adapted from “The Beekeepers Calendar, A Year In The Apiary-Central Maine” by Tony Jadczak, Maine State Apiarist
