Spring at Apiary: Preparing Colonies for Growth and Productivity

As winter loses its grip and temperatures begin to rise, honey bee colonies emerge from their dormant phase, entering one of the most critical periods of their annual cycle. Spring is not merely a transition from winter to summer—it is a period of intense colony development that determines the productivity and resilience of a hive throughout the season.

For beekeepers, early spring management is a delicate balancing act. Colonies must be provided with the right conditions to grow at a sustainable rate while avoiding the pitfalls of starvation, disease, and premature swarming. Effective management at this stage ensures that by the time the main nectar flow arrives, the colony is at peak strength, maximizing honey production and setting the stage for a successful season.

The Mass Orientation Flights: Rebuilding from Winter

By late March, as temperatures consistently reach 14-16°C, colonies begin their main cleansing flights as discussed previously, marking the end of winter confinement. This is the moment when beekeepers can perform their first full assessment of hive conditions and make critical interventions to prevent setbacks and encourage strong development.

To support colony development, a supplemental honey and pollen reserve is added. A separate hive body containing 10-12 kg of honey and pollen is placed beneath the wintering colony. This provides an additional, stable food source, which is especially crucial in areas where spring nectar flows are unpredictable. A plastic film is placed between the two hive bodies, with a small opening of 2-3 cm, allowing bees to access the food without exposing the colony to cold air. This technique ensures that the colony remains well-fed while avoiding stress from temperature fluctuations.

The First Generation: Critical Early Growth

After the cleansing flight, the first new generation of bees is raised almost entirely by the overwintered worker bees, whose own physiological resources are used to feed and care for the developing brood. These winter bees are approaching the end of their lifespan, and their final task is to ensure the successful emergence of a new workforce.

Damaged or moldy combs accumulated over winter are removed, and new empty frames are introduced to give the colony room to expand. However, simply providing space is sometimes not enough — some colonies require stimulative feeding to ensure optimal growth.

If you choose to use stimulative feeding, it should be done for 21 days. Colonies are fed every two days with 250ml of 1:1 honey syrup enriched with bitter herbal extracts. This practice:

• Supports brood rearing by ensuring a continuous energy supply.
• Helps prevent digestive issues and protein imbalances, which can lead to Nosema disease.
• Extends the lifespan of the first generation of bees, increasing their ability to care for the next wave of brood.

Note: this stimulative feeding can only be done for strong colonies. Pushing weak colonies to produce even more brood can lead to brood diseases and colony collapse!

The first generation of bees is smaller in number, as it is raised exclusively by overwintered workers using their own body reserves. However, its emergence brings a fundamental shift in colony dynamics—older bees stop nursing and transition to hive maintenance, while the newly emerged bees take over the responsibility of feeding the queen.

This sudden change can sometimes lead to queen overactivity, as her feeding stimulation increases egg production beyond what the colony can handle. If this coincides with a strong nectar flow, brood rearing may outpace the colony’s ability to maintain hive hygiene, increasing the risk of brood diseases. No amount of antibiotics will solve this problem, as it primarily affects sealed brood—once infections develop inside the capped cells, the colony is already compromised. In such cases, the only solution is to eliminate the queen and force the colony to experience a brood break of at least four weeks. This resets the cycle, allowing for new brood to emerge with stronger genetic resistance to disease.

Merging Colonies: Strengthening Weak Hives

One of the most common early spring challenges is encountering weak colonies that have survived winter but lack the strength to grow independently. Colonies that cluster on only three Dadant frames are too weak to be left alone, as their small populations make them vulnerable to disease, robbing, and queen failure.

To prevent the loss of such colonies, they are merged with stronger hives using a controlled integration process:

1. In the evening, the weak hive is moved next to the strong hive.
2. Its entrance is reduced to a small opening allowing only one or two bees to exit at a time, minimizing the risk of robbing.
3. A wire separator is placed on top of the strong hive, and the weaker colony is placed above it.
4. A plastic film is placed between them, creating an indirect merging environment.
5. After 24 hours, a corner of the film is folded back, and the bees are lightly sprayed with sugar syrup to encourage integration.
6. After three to four days, the separator is completely removed, and the colonies merge into a single unit.

All of these steps must be performed in the evening, when nectar foraging is at a minimum. Attempting to merge colonies during the day risks triggering aggression and robbing behavior. Additionally, swapping hive locations to integrate the bees must never be done during the day, as it confuses returning foragers and weakens the colony instead of strengthening it.

The primary goal of spring colony merging is to produce a strong first generation of bees. Beekeepers must also anticipate the potential challenges: merged colonies often grow rapidly, and by mid-season, 30-50% of them may need to be split again to prevent swarming. Proper planning must be in place to ensure that enough extra hive bodies are available.

Merging is also a preventative measure against brood diseases, as the most common cause of early-season infections is insufficient feeding and improper temperature regulation. If two weak colonies are combined, they may still struggle to maintain optimal brood conditions, leading to disease outbreaks. However, by merging a weak colony with a strong one, these problems are eliminated, and the bees have better thermal regulation and food-sharing dynamics.

Building Towards a Productive Season

The ultimate goal of spring management is to build up strong colonies before the main honey flow begins. This is achieved by:

1. Ensuring a healthy, well-fed first generation that transitions seamlessly into raising the second generation.
2. Providing early-season feed to maximize worker longevity and improve brood survival rates.
3. Strengthening weaker colonies through careful merging to avoid mid-season failures.
4. Expanding hives strategically, allowing colonies to build their population in sync with floral availability.

Timing is crucial—if colonies expand too early, they risk brood chilling during cold nights. If they expand too late, they may miss peak nectar flows, resulting in poor honey yields. Understanding how bee colonies respond to environmental signals is the key to successful beekeeping.

Beekeepers must recognize that it is not the queen that makes a strong colony, but the workforce of bees that surrounds her. The success of a hive is determined not by the queen’s egg-laying ability alone but by the number of workers available to care for the brood, collect resources, and maintain the hive. Strong management in early spring ensures that colonies are optimized for growth, disease-resistant, and capable of reaching their full potential before the honey season begins.