WALKWAY CHECK

It's important to ensure that your bees have a clear path out of their hives for cleansing flights and proper caretaking. Regardless of your hive style, hive entrances often become blocked with dead bees that were unable to exit before dying, or that caretaker bees couldn't remove due to a lack of flying days. You can clear the entrance and tube of your Ritehive using a long stick, a straightened coat hanger, or a long-handled bottle brush.

I like a one-inch bottle brush but you may have to tape a 3/8 th dowel to it to get all the way through. Be gentle you do not want to knock over the entrance tubes

Additionally, make sure all your colonies have sufficient food available. As the bees begin to rear brood again, food scarcity can hinder your colony's buildup for the new season and could even lead to starvation, which can occur very quickly.

Now is also a good time to prepare any spring treatments for Nosema. Make sure you have these on hand for the first warm days when you can feed treated syrup or apply treatments.

Wishing everyone a successful, productive, and enjoyable bee year!