Have henbit starting to bloom in the yard and bees are checking it. Maple trees look like they are ready to pop in the next week or so. Looks like hives are going to fire up early around here.

Keep an eye on your bees food honey stores. Warm days this early with any type of nectar or even sugar from soft drink cans in the garbage cans can get them in the hive building mode. Feed as necessary to prevent starvation.

I have been getting honey bees in my big birdfeeder around this time of year for the last 3 years

I like honey so I'm thinking about getting bees.

Have fondant on mine and getting ready to get some pollen patties on the way. Going to have to put my swarm traps out early this year.

these are the kinda springs that have the potential to do in bees in the north. hopefully the weather will not advance so much that any of the trees pop open soon. upside is dead spring bees equals lots of nuc sales

I checked my hives, about a week ago. Added more sugar . They looked ok . Probably a month and a half of winter yet. They were out a little bit today, stillcold 35 F. In this area March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb, an old saying. old243

You northen bee keepers have my respect, dont think I would stick with it having to contend with winters like you do.

70 degrees today here and they were bringing in pollen by the basket full today. Put another pollen patty and sugar syrup on them today also. We are running about to weeks ahead of schedule here.

I checked in all mine today. They were active all nut one hive I think I may have lost. That one was my stro get hive going into winter and the candy board had not been touched and it still had caped honey frams from what I could see from the top. I expected the most from that hive. On the other hand I got a July swarm and made a split at the same time as an experiment not expecting either to survive and they were both active.

My mentor says to start with sugar water on the 14th and put out some flour in something covers to simulate pollen so the queens will start laying and the bees will have their population built up when the honey flow starts.

I checked mine this morning it was -22 F. Four of the five were still buzzing, one late Nuc was kind of quiet, it might be gone. I will open them mid April. I hope at least two make it.