spring inspection checklist

[dfizer]

Ok - given that this year is the first year my bees have made it through winter I was curious if there is a difference in the spring inspections?  I'm really going to be looking for brood and the location of it.  I'm thinking that given the amount of pollen that has been coming in that there should be quite a bit of brood.  Also I'm going to do some basic cleaning of dead bees etc...  Anything else you can think of?

DAvid

[Steel Tiger]

check for any damage that the weather may have done and keep your eyes peeled for mites

[123_Bee]

Check that sealed brood is worker, not drone. Check brood pattern and quality of larvae.

Check for stores, if they don't have enough to eat to support the growing population you may need to feed them for a while, but you need to be sure the queen has room to lay.

Check also for signs of varroa and disease, as well as damaged combs that may need to be replaced.

The first inspection of the year can yield quite a lot of wild or brace comb, so have a plastic box handy to put it in.