You’ve done everything right. There is activity around your hive. Your bee’s have survived the winter. As Spring approaches we have not passed the beginning of the new bee season yet, but I have already done some housekeeping. Your bee’s will create a mess over the winter inside their hive, and the floor of the hive may need wiping. Me being as keen as mustard my bee’s have already had their spring clean, this has already been done before any Spring hive inspection.
Sadly I have lost one hive over the winter, this is not unusual. I am planning a mass expansion this year and am aiming to own at least 21 hives by the end of the summer. My breeding programme should provide me with the bee’s.
My existing hives are full of strong colonies and queens, as they have proved by getting through the winter.The two reasons bee’s die over the winter is cold or starvation, provided they do not have any diseases. Which if, you have been doing your bees keeping duties competently should not happen.
For any bee’s that you find dead in your hive along with any frames that are ‘not fit for purpose’ (this is a judgement call and depends on your level of experience) you need a fire pit to burn and dispose of the frame and dead bees and detritus left behind.
Not the most pleasant of jobs, a highly necessary task that you only need do it once a year and all your housekeeping is done.
A picture of a heavily contaminated frame that requires burning.
Happy Bee Keeping folks!