Good news..3 colonies out of 4 alive and well, BUT...

[EasternShore]

Thought I lost my main breeder colony last time it was warm...They decided not to fly and I thought I lost them. Today it was warm so I looked..low and behold they're fine...silly rookie ..  :-)

Question: No pollen left in ANY of my boxes...3 colonies.

Need suggestions

[WhipCityBeeMan]

If you dont have any pollen left in the hives then you need to add pollen patties.  Bees need pollen to raise brood. I usually check on pollen stores around mid-february here in MA.  You also could add frames of pollen if you have any.

Did you check your frames for pollen?

[Brian D. Bray]

In Maryland you should be seeing the same thing we are in in Washington, willow, filbert (hazelnut), crocus with maybe alder or birch pollen being brought back to the hive.  My bees have been bringing it back for about a week or so.  They still have honey stores and are building up the pollen stores for beginning a brood nest.

If you think you need to, feeding pollen patties is ok but feed it in small amounts as it is a dinner invitation to SHB.  I would break each patty into 3-4 parts and feed each part to a hive.  Wait until that is fully consumed and then feed another round the same way.  But my guess is that if the bees are bringing pollen from trees and flowers they'll probably ignore the patty.  If that's the case remove the patty so it doesn't attract SHB.   Consider every hive coming out of winter as week and susceptable to pest invasion.

[1of6]

Paul,
For what it's worth - while I was at the Washington Navy Yard last week, I noticed that the sycamores are blooming across the bay from you.  It's a little earlier than I thought they'd be, but it'll present your bees with a pollen source if things stay warm enough for them to fly.  Definitely still heed others' advice though just in case it cools down and your bees can't fly. 

Sycamore blooms look a little odd.  Here's what they look like, and here's the color of pollen they present: