This month is all about getting ready!  We've toughed out that awful winter and now the bees can be seen bringing in pollen and this makes us itch for April showers and May flowers.  What colors are you seeing?  So far, my bees are bringing in white and yellow.  The white is probably from skunk cabbage where the yellow is most likely from crocus, daffodil, and witch hazel.  These are just a few that I've seen blooming and there's plenty more out there to come.  What flowers can you identify?  Come to the April dinner and find out!

The annual dinner will be held on April 18 at Chelos in Warwick.  This evening event's guest speaker is Don Adams who will talk about nectar sources around our area.  Don has a colorful slideshow of flowers in bloom.  He discusses where he has taken the photo and the time of the bloom.  This lighthearted presentation will give you the context for the types of nectar and pollen sources that are available in our area which in turn will make it easier for you to make decisions when feeding, treating for mites, supering, etc.
Also on the agenda is the annual election.  We have a vacancy for secretary, but all of the other officers have indicated that they will run again for reelection. So far there aren't any contenders; however, if you would like to run for office - either secretary or another position - please see the nomination committee (Kit Mayers or Jeff McGuire). Who can vote?  Any member in good standing can vote.  You must be present to vote.  If you have other evening obligations you can just attend the business portion of the meeting which will be first up on the agenda for the evening.

Don't forget the auction and raffle!  Please call Celeste or Lisa if you have donations to make.

What else should I be doing in March/April?

Paint, paint and more paint!  Actually, what I mean is that you should be applying whatever finish you would like to use.  Paint, boiled linseed oil, and paraffin wax are just some examples of preservatives that I've heard members say they use.  Still others like the weathered look and don't use anything at all.  The trick here is to plan your time to get it all ready.  The reason that I bring up painting in particular is so you can make sure that the parts have plenty of time to air out before you put the bees in or add the parts to the hive.  Sometimes the fumes can drive the bees out; especially packages!

Feeding is also on the agenda.  By the time you read this the temperature has moderated and you can use sugar syrup and pollen substitute/supplement patties.  Please read last month's newsletter for details.  Try not to overfeed.  We have a tendency to nurture.  When we see the feeder is empty we want to fill it up thinking “they must be hungry.”  Keep in mind that bees are programmed to horde.  There is a good chance that they aren't hungry at all and that your sugar syrup is being promptly stored in the brood frames.  Is that a bad thing?  Yes and no.  That's our standard waffling beekeeper answer to everything!  Yes, it is a good thing if their stores are light.  They need the syrup to raise the brood.  So far, so good.  But, the answer is No if they have stores leftover from winter and they are just hording.  Remember that swarm control starts now.  If you overfeed your bees there is a good chance that they will fill up most of the open space in the brood chamber with syrup causing a condition we call “honey bound.”  If the brood frames are filled with syrup (or honey) where then will the queen lay her eggs?  Surely this condition will cause the bees to swarm.  Like clockwork, starting around Mothers' Day.  How do you make the decision to add more feed (syrup and patties)?

If the colony came through the winter look into the tops of the frames when you remove the covers and see if you can spot capped honey cells.  If you can see capped cells you probably have enough stores so a light feeding may make you feel better.  They may not need anything at all!  Just inspect weekly and put feed on only when you feel they are running low.  If you see capped cells and you still aren't sure you can feed once weekly skipping a few days in-between to let them consume some of their stores.  Stop feeding when you see lots of activity at the entrance and/or flowers blooming around your area.

If you are starting packages you must feed.  You must give them light ratio syrup if you start the package on foundation.  This is when you feed heavily and as much as they will take.  They need the syrup to eat, survive, and most especially to draw out the foundation into honeycomb. If you have a frame or two of honey you can also put that in, but you will need light ratio syrup for the wax building activities.  Over the years I have tried just honey frames but my observation is that there is nothing like light ratio syrup to get them to build honeycomb.  You may be wondering what I mean by light ratio sugar syrup?

Light ratio sugar syrup is 1:1 sugar to water by weight.  Here's an easy to remember formula.  Think 10 - 5 - 2.  Ten pounds of white granulated sugar mixed in five quarts of warm water will yield two gallons of syrup.  You don't need to heat or boil the water as the hot tap on your sink is hot enough.  Never use brown sugar or dark sugar as sometimes the “brown stuff” can be harmful to the bees.  White granulated sugar is safe, clean and good for them.

Watch this newsletter for next month's articles on splitting colonies for expansion and backyard queen rearing.  Splitting a colony is easy!  Everyone can do it.  There are a myriad of uses for a split such as expanding the apiary, bolstering a weak colony in the fall, queen replacements and just for the fun of it!  Here's the plan.  I will write an article in the next newsletter.  There will be a presentation and “how-to” lecture at the May meeting.  Then, topping it off with hands-on demonstrations will be Lou Chasse who invites you all to his apiary for a Saturday session (date to be announced).  Your target date to make your own splits should be around Memorial Day so we will have gotten all of this article writing, presentation and hands-on demos done by then.