It has been a mild winter so far but now, in mid-February, Storm Ciara is upon us. With wind speeds of up to 80mph forecast (and as I write, we are in the thick of it!) we can only hope that beehives are secured and able to resist the onslaught. It has been an interesting winter, with bees flying throughout the warmer days. It’s too early for any beekeeping intervention but checks on hive weights should confirm that bees are well-provisioned with enough stores to take colonies through to the warmer spring weather. Fondant is a good choice for any colonies that are struggling.

We rarely experience the severe cold and icy conditions of winters past. I’m not complaining - more opportunities for life in the great outdoors. But it’s not such good news for our bees. Workers may venture out into the relative warmth, only to find that they have little or no forage (we are just seeing the appearance of snowdrops, crocuses and willow ‘catkins’). This leads to a gradual decline in stores when bees use up their energy reserves (or sadly, they may die on the wing, finding that the chill is too much to bear).

Mild winters bring another challenge - if queens continue to lay, there may be no brood break; an opportunity for varroa to continue to reproduce, if conditions are favourable for the mites. Colonies that were already weak late in the season may be stressed and damaged going into spring. The first of our inspections should focus on the wellbeing of colonies and the presence of disease or infestation.

Worcester Beekeepers continue to monitor hives closely. All seems well in the apiary so far!

Think like a bee!