- Continue monitoring food stores, and practicing the February feeding tips. Work to maintain a 20lb surplus, and feed pollen substitute during cold weeks.
- You should see the population of your hive beginning to explode. Your queen should be laying a tremendous amount of eggs, and a new generation of bees should be hatching. If you do not see any signs of eggs, larva, or brood, your hive is queenless, and you should order a replacement queen, or merge the hive with another hive. If your hive has less than 2 frames of bees, merging is most likely your best option. If you have 3 frames of bees, you can add a frame of brood from a stronger hive, and give the hive a new queen.
- If you can find queens, splitting can be done in late March, or anytime in April. If you make a split in late March, 4 frames of solid brood, a mated queen, and proper care should guarantee a hive that is ready to make honey in early May.
- Prevent swarming by adding boxes when the existing box becomes 75% full of bees, or split your hive. If your hive has swarm cells, which are queen cells containing larva or pupae, on the bottom or edges of a frame, then the only way to prevent swarming is by splitting the hive. Simply removing the cells is rarely sufficient, as we typically miss a cell or two.
- Make sure any stored supers are free of wax moths, and are stored with wax moth crystals.
- Remove entrance reducers to ensure hives do not overheat on warm days.
