February 2012 – The Beekeepers Calendar

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

• Feed sugar candy or dry sugar if needed.

This monthly post is adapted from “The Beekeepers Calendar, A Year In The Apiary-Central Maine” by Tony Jadczak, Maine State Apiarist