Month: February 2020

On Friday I went to the hives to assess the colony’s movement into late winter stores as we move toward winter’s end. Late winter is when honey bee colonies tend to deplete their winter stores. Consequently, late winter is also the time when inattentive beekeepers can experience winter colony losses as their bees slowly starve.

Usine thermal imaging, it appears that this colony is moving into the stores in the upper brood box. I know from prior inspections that the upper brood box was completely filled with honey in mid-October. It should still be nearly full of honey as the bees move upward to take advantage of that stored honey.

It also looks like there is a substantial amount of brood remaining in the lower brood box. On Monday the weather forecast calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid-60’s. Perfect weather for a quick check of the upper box to estimate how long the remaining stores are likely to last.