I don't know about you but I'm ready for spring. This will (fingers crossed) be my second year as a beekeeper! I'm still new to this...so is there anything I should REALLY know before starting year 2? Any tips/advice appreciated...please and thank you! :)
(PS, sorry if there are already lots of posts like this :oops:)
Just remember that most hives that starve do so between right now and first bloom. With brood rearing escalating, but no nectar coming in, the stores will diminish many times faster than they have up to this time. Keep a very close check on the weight of the hive and check it for stores on warm days.
Good for you! I would suggest a few things to focus on:
* read a good bee book per month and take notes
* find a friendly local beekeeper or club and start asking lots of questions
* start keeping a log book of your hives and start tracking things you see during inspections, etc (you'll want to number you hives)
* try something new this year like making a split or hiving a swarm
:)
thanks both of you for the advice. it seems like swarming is the big issue for the 2nd year...so I'll have to read up on that :)
Are you still keeping bees?
Getting ready for winter:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeswinter.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/beeswinter.htm)
Managing them in the spring:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesspring.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesspring.htm)