February really is a great month for beekeeping! There is no stress, no pressure, yet the anticipation is building ahead of the first hive inspection in a few weeks’ time at the end of March or beginning of April, depending on the weather gods. Don’t be fooled though, there are still lots of beekeeping jobs to get done in February.
This month, you will notice a lot of activity around the hive entrances and on the few flowers that make an appearance this early. As a gardener, I often get the most pleasure from my garden in springtime, and even more so now that I keep a few beehives in the orchard. In spring, you have the time and inclination to look at each and every flower that you come across, and appreciate the beauty of them all separately, whereas in summer there is such an abundance that each flower gets lost in the multitude. The same can be said for the bees. Every single bee that is seen at this time of the year is noticed, appreciated and commented on…
Beekeeping jobs in February
Although not a busy month for the beekeeper from a beekeeping perspective, there is a still lot to do to get ready for spring, and any work you put in during February will stand to you as the season progresses.
Hefting and checking stores
In the apiary, one of the most important beekeeping jobs in February is to make sure that your colonies have enough stores. Hopefully they had enough food going into winter, but it has been a rather mild January with a lot of activity. Judging from the full pollen baskets seen at the hive entrances, brood rearing started just a few days into the new year. This means that the bees will have eaten into their winter stores by now and might require a supplementary feed of fondant.
Heft the hive to check if there are stores present. To do this, gently lift the back of the hive by the floor. If it is heavy, there should be enough honey, but if it is light then feeding is required. For a beginner, hefting can be tricky business. If you have only one hive, then you have nothing to compare with, and a complete wooden hive can feel heavy enough even without stores.
Also, a hive can be really heavy and full of stores, but if there is a lot of Ivy honey the bees may not utilize it until the weather gets warmer. (Ivy is in many areas the last flow of the year, and although the bees can bring in its nectar in great quantities, ivy honey crystallizes very quickly and many beekeepers say that their bees are not using those stores until later in spring or summer when the heat softens it and they will collect water to dilute it.)
Feeding fondant
For beginners, I would advise to feed fondant to most if not all colonies until you have mastered the art of hefting. It’s not going to break the bank but will provide good insurance for your bees. A lot of winter losses happen this time of the year due to starvation, either the colony have depleted their stores entirely, or they can suffer isolation starvation where a cold spell prevents the bees from getting to the stores that may be located too far away from the cluster. Having access to fondant just overhead can mean the difference between starvation and survival.
February usually brings a cold snap or two, so make sure your bees are well insulated on top. Either by an insulated roof or extra insulation between the crown board and roof. You should not wrap your hives in plastic or similar, but it is a good idea to provide overhead insulation to contain the heat rising from the cluster and to prevent condensation from forming immediately over the cluster and water then dripping down on it. This results in cooling (and wetting) of both bees and brood and can have devastating effects on a colony. Hence an important beekeeping job in February is to make sure the hive is well insulated on top and provide some ventilation at the bottom.
A sheet of foam insulation board works well to provide top insulation, as does a quilt box or similar (a quilt box will both insulate and absorb excess moisture). I like using the thinner sheets of bubble reflective foil insulation. They do a great job, are very lightweight and portable and take up next to no space when in storage. It is quite inexpensive and readily available from your local hardware store or building supplies. You can even put the sheet straight on top of the frames without using a crown board, if needed, and cut out a feed hole. Read more about ventilation and Insulation in Beehives.
cutting insulation for hive
Leave the bees alone
Although it is the beginner beekeeper’s prerogative to be both curious and impatient, I would insist that you still those two urges and resolve to not open up the hives during this month. To use the words of my mentor Leo, often repeated over my first few years of beekeeping: Leave ‘em alone! This will be one of the most critical beekeeping jobs you’ll undertake in February
You can however take a few moments in the apiary to check the screening boards/varroa inserts, if using, to see how many frames the bees are on, if they are breaking into their stores, and do a Varroa count. Don’t forget to clean the debris from the floor to discourage mice or wax moth from taking up residence there. It may also be necessary to clear entrances of dead bees.
Deal with dead colonies
On a fine, sunny day you can observe the hive entrances to check for activity and the odd bit of pollen. If there is no activity you should investigate further by knocking on the hive. If you can hear a roar, all is well, but if not, lift off the roof and check for any activity around the hole in the crown board. In case there are no signs of life you should disregard my previous advice not to open the hive, and gently lift the crown board to investigate. If the colony has died out, you will need to do three things:
Close up the hive to prevent any robbing.
Determine the cause of their demise. Ask your mentor or another experienced beekeeper to help with this, and send off a sample to Dr Mary Coffey in Teagasc for testing. This great service is free, and it is a good habit to get into early on in your beekeeping life to send off samples for testing for disease.
Once the reason for the loss has been determined, you can deal with the frames and hive body appropriately. Read more about cleaning equipment here
Stocktaking and making plans
The most satisfying bit of beekeeping I do in February is in the beginning of the month when I brew a nice mug of coffee and plonk myself in the Bee-shed with a pen, a notepad and my hopes and expectations for the year. I also consider it one of the main beekeeping jobs of the whole year, not just February.
Why start in February, and not January, you may ask? January for me is full of gardening, seed orders, seedlings, cuttings and propagation. But February is all about taking stock and making plans for the beekeeping year ahead. I think about where I would like to be at the end of the year, how many hives and nucs that I would like to bring into the coming winter, and work my way back from there, both in terms of bees, queens, equipment and apiaries.
Plan for summer & next winter
Even if you are a beginner with one, three or no colonies, this is a very valuable exercise, and will help you to plan for acquisition of materiel and give you a general plan for the year. You should always plan to have more than one colony going in to your first winter. It will give you a chance to make comparisons throughout the season and provide you with a much-needed testframe at times of need.
Anecdotally, some beekeepers who have lost their one and only hive over winter get so despondent that they give up beekeeping altogether. During my first year, I purchased a colony in May, caught a swarm in June and acquired a nuc in July. The first winter saw me lose a colony to a combination of Parasitic Mite Syndrome and Isolation Starvation, but my other two hives were off to a flying start the following March and so was I!
Inventory of equipment
I always finish up my stocktaking by making an inventory of the equipment I have, what needs repairing and cleaning, and what has to be purchased. The early months of the year always bring about some good bargains from the beekeeping suppliers, so make sure to check in with them early to order what you need.
Order wax
There is often a scarcity of wax during summertime, so to prevent disappointment and frustration, stock up early. And please remember to support our own indigenous businesses and shop local and Irish as much as is possible, both in terms of material and equipment and also when purchasing bees and queens. Find a directory of Irish Manufacturers and Suppliers here
Build, paint and repair
When you have all your equipment got, start assembling boxes and frames, and paint the boxes on the outside. Also go over all old equipment and repair where necessary. It is easier to do it now when the boxes are empty and not urgently needed. If you aim to have this done by the end of February, then you can start making preparations for the first hive inspection during the month of March.
Honeybee collecting propolis on hammerBeekeeping job – cleaning and painting nucs Beekeeping job – cleaning and painting nucs
So, to recap, here are the jobs you should aim to have completed by the end of February:
Hefting hives and checking stores
Feeding fondant
Leave the bees alone
Clean varroa inserts and clear blocked entrances
Deal with dead colonies
Stocktaking and making plans
Inventory of equipment
Order wax
Build, paint and repair equipment
That’s the list of beekeeping jobs for this lovely month of February folks! Enjoy the work and make sure to check in with me in a few weeks for more jobs to do in March. I’m off out to the Bee-shed with my cup of coffee to do some dreaming and some scheming!
Hanna
Hanna Bäckmo
Hanna Bäckmo is an award-winning beekeeper, entrepreneur, hobby gardener and internationally published writer. Originally from a small island in Sweden, she now lives in East Cork with her son, two dogs, a flock of rescue chickens and lots of bees. Hanna is the founder of Hanna’s Bees, producing a unique range of natural and sustainable honey, propolis, and beeswax products sold in Ireland’s leading Gift & Artisan food stores and select US outlets. With 70 colonies of Native Irish honeybees, she is a passionate bee-advocate and educator and is an Ambassador for the Native Irish Honeybee.
Curious about the world of bees and honey? Join our newsletter to learn something new each week.
In winter and spring you will often hear beekeepers talk about beehive insulation, condensation and ventilation, and the different ways in which a hive can be set up to deal with the issue of dampness in the hive. While many novice beekeepers worry about the cold, more experienced beekeepers know that it is the dampness that can cause real damage to a colony of bees in the winter. But why is this and how can we deal with it?
The Death’s Head Hawk Moth is a large, striking moth. It is a rare sight in Ireland and the UK, with only a handfull reported each year. However, the moth is known for its strong connection with honeybees. In this blog post, I will explore the fascinating world of Death’s Head Hawk Moths, and their unique relationship with honeybees. I will also shine a light on their place in history, mythology and culture.
Beekeeping February
February really is a great month for beekeeping! There is no stress, no pressure, yet the anticipation is building ahead of the first hive inspection in a few weeks’ time at the end of March or beginning of April, depending on the weather gods. Don’t be fooled though, there are still lots of beekeeping jobs to get done in February.
This month, you will notice a lot of activity around the hive entrances and on the few flowers that make an appearance this early. As a gardener, I often get the most pleasure from my garden in springtime, and even more so now that I keep a few beehives in the orchard. In spring, you have the time and inclination to look at each and every flower that you come across, and appreciate the beauty of them all separately, whereas in summer there is such an abundance that each flower gets lost in the multitude. The same can be said for the bees. Every single bee that is seen at this time of the year is noticed, appreciated and commented on…
Beekeeping jobs in February
Although not a busy month for the beekeeper from a beekeeping perspective, there is a still lot to do to get ready for spring, and any work you put in during February will stand to you as the season progresses.
Hefting and checking stores
In the apiary, one of the most important beekeeping jobs in February is to make sure that your colonies have enough stores. Hopefully they had enough food going into winter, but it has been a rather mild January with a lot of activity. Judging from the full pollen baskets seen at the hive entrances, brood rearing started just a few days into the new year. This means that the bees will have eaten into their winter stores by now and might require a supplementary feed of fondant.
Heft the hive to check if there are stores present. To do this, gently lift the back of the hive by the floor. If it is heavy, there should be enough honey, but if it is light then feeding is required. For a beginner, hefting can be tricky business. If you have only one hive, then you have nothing to compare with, and a complete wooden hive can feel heavy enough even without stores.
Also, a hive can be really heavy and full of stores, but if there is a lot of Ivy honey the bees may not utilize it until the weather gets warmer. (Ivy is in many areas the last flow of the year, and although the bees can bring in its nectar in great quantities, ivy honey crystallizes very quickly and many beekeepers say that their bees are not using those stores until later in spring or summer when the heat softens it and they will collect water to dilute it.)
Feeding fondant
For beginners, I would advise to feed fondant to most if not all colonies until you have mastered the art of hefting. It’s not going to break the bank but will provide good insurance for your bees. A lot of winter losses happen this time of the year due to starvation, either the colony have depleted their stores entirely, or they can suffer isolation starvation where a cold spell prevents the bees from getting to the stores that may be located too far away from the cluster. Having access to fondant just overhead can mean the difference between starvation and survival.
Read my blog about feeding bees here.
Insulate top
February usually brings a cold snap or two, so make sure your bees are well insulated on top. Either by an insulated roof or extra insulation between the crown board and roof. You should not wrap your hives in plastic or similar, but it is a good idea to provide overhead insulation to contain the heat rising from the cluster and to prevent condensation from forming immediately over the cluster and water then dripping down on it. This results in cooling (and wetting) of both bees and brood and can have devastating effects on a colony. Hence an important beekeeping job in February is to make sure the hive is well insulated on top and provide some ventilation at the bottom.
A sheet of foam insulation board works well to provide top insulation, as does a quilt box or similar (a quilt box will both insulate and absorb excess moisture). I like using the thinner sheets of bubble reflective foil insulation. They do a great job, are very lightweight and portable and take up next to no space when in storage. It is quite inexpensive and readily available from your local hardware store or building supplies. You can even put the sheet straight on top of the frames without using a crown board, if needed, and cut out a feed hole. Read more about ventilation and Insulation in Beehives.
Leave the bees alone
Although it is the beginner beekeeper’s prerogative to be both curious and impatient, I would insist that you still those two urges and resolve to not open up the hives during this month. To use the words of my mentor Leo, often repeated over my first few years of beekeeping: Leave ‘em alone! This will be one of the most critical beekeeping jobs you’ll undertake in February
You can however take a few moments in the apiary to check the screening boards/varroa inserts, if using, to see how many frames the bees are on, if they are breaking into their stores, and do a Varroa count. Don’t forget to clean the debris from the floor to discourage mice or wax moth from taking up residence there. It may also be necessary to clear entrances of dead bees.
Deal with dead colonies
On a fine, sunny day you can observe the hive entrances to check for activity and the odd bit of pollen. If there is no activity you should investigate further by knocking on the hive. If you can hear a roar, all is well, but if not, lift off the roof and check for any activity around the hole in the crown board. In case there are no signs of life you should disregard my previous advice not to open the hive, and gently lift the crown board to investigate. If the colony has died out, you will need to do three things:
Stocktaking and making plans
The most satisfying bit of beekeeping I do in February is in the beginning of the month when I brew a nice mug of coffee and plonk myself in the Bee-shed with a pen, a notepad and my hopes and expectations for the year. I also consider it one of the main beekeeping jobs of the whole year, not just February.
Why start in February, and not January, you may ask? January for me is full of gardening, seed orders, seedlings, cuttings and propagation. But February is all about taking stock and making plans for the beekeeping year ahead. I think about where I would like to be at the end of the year, how many hives and nucs that I would like to bring into the coming winter, and work my way back from there, both in terms of bees, queens, equipment and apiaries.
Plan for summer & next winter
Even if you are a beginner with one, three or no colonies, this is a very valuable exercise, and will help you to plan for acquisition of materiel and give you a general plan for the year. You should always plan to have more than one colony going in to your first winter. It will give you a chance to make comparisons throughout the season and provide you with a much-needed testframe at times of need.
Anecdotally, some beekeepers who have lost their one and only hive over winter get so despondent that they give up beekeeping altogether. During my first year, I purchased a colony in May, caught a swarm in June and acquired a nuc in July. The first winter saw me lose a colony to a combination of Parasitic Mite Syndrome and Isolation Starvation, but my other two hives were off to a flying start the following March and so was I!
Inventory of equipment
I always finish up my stocktaking by making an inventory of the equipment I have, what needs repairing and cleaning, and what has to be purchased. The early months of the year always bring about some good bargains from the beekeeping suppliers, so make sure to check in with them early to order what you need.
Order wax
There is often a scarcity of wax during summertime, so to prevent disappointment and frustration, stock up early. And please remember to support our own indigenous businesses and shop local and Irish as much as is possible, both in terms of material and equipment and also when purchasing bees and queens. Find a directory of Irish Manufacturers and Suppliers here
Build, paint and repair
When you have all your equipment got, start assembling boxes and frames, and paint the boxes on the outside. Also go over all old equipment and repair where necessary. It is easier to do it now when the boxes are empty and not urgently needed. If you aim to have this done by the end of February, then you can start making preparations for the first hive inspection during the month of March.
So, to recap, here are the jobs you should aim to have completed by the end of February:
That’s the list of beekeeping jobs for this lovely month of February folks! Enjoy the work and make sure to check in with me in a few weeks for more jobs to do in March. I’m off out to the Bee-shed with my cup of coffee to do some dreaming and some scheming!
Hanna
Hanna Bäckmo
Curious about the world of bees and honey? Join our newsletter to learn something new each week.
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In winter and spring you will often hear beekeepers talk about beehive insulation, condensation and ventilation, and the different ways in which a hive can be set up to deal with the issue of dampness in the hive. While many novice beekeepers worry about the cold, more experienced beekeepers know that it is the dampness that can cause real damage to a colony of bees in the winter. But why is this and how can we deal with it?
Uninvited Guest: The Death’s Head Hawk Moth
The Death’s Head Hawk Moth is a large, striking moth. It is a rare sight in Ireland and the UK, with only a handfull reported each year. However, the moth is known for its strong connection with honeybees. In this blog post, I will explore the fascinating world of Death’s Head Hawk Moths, and their unique relationship with honeybees. I will also shine a light on their place in history, mythology and culture.