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Review all equipment
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Place equipment orders in January (sales!)
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If planning on a honey crop, order equipment now
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Order swarm catching equipment
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Finish repairs and painting
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Is stored equipment still safe from mice?
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Block entrance of a dead colony until you inspect
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Veil, gloves, smoker clean and ready for use?
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Winter storm? Check hives and beeyard
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Arrival of Spring weather depends on climate
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Cold climate: check if colonies alive and need food
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Frames of stored honey can be moved close to cluster
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Never break the winter cluster – bees will die
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Cold climate: can feed “wet sugar” bricks
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Warm climate: check if colonies are alive
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Warm climate: feed 1:1 sugar syrup to encourage egg laying
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Bees arriving carrying pollen signals brood rearing
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Warm climate: can requeen if necessary
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Watch entrance for drones that signal start of swarm season
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When weather warms, colonies can be split
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Read a new bee book
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Be a Plant Watcher and a Weather Watcher
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Go outdoors and look for plants in bloom
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Attend your local club meetings
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Become an apprentice mentor – you will learn much
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- Be a plant watcher.
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- Clean that smoker.
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- Are there drones yet?
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- Watch for incoming pollen.
