BINZEL Bees in spring – The bees are heating up

Winter is over and the sun is shining more and more every day. Apart from giving us warmer and longer days, this also marks the beginning of the new phase of the bee year. In ABICOR BINZEL's own bee colony, activity is now back in full swing. With spring, the new annual cycle of the busy bees begins.

On the lookout for the first nectar

The first big event in the bee year is the so-called cleaning flight. This year, the cleaning flight took place in February, as the sun was shining down on the beehive early on with temperatures of more than 12 degrees. The reason for this first excursion is quite simple: the bees simply have to go to the toilet after months of huddling together in the hive to keep warm. In addition, the cleaning flight serves for exploration and orientation. The bees are already on the lookout for the first pollen and the first nectar. Both are offered to them at this time by the flowering hazel bushes and winter bulbs. The queen is already having her first offspring, which is why the young brood must be well cared for. The last winter bees are still raising the new young bees. They are replaced by the growing summer bees as the temperature rises and brood activity increases.

The honey production can start soon

After our beekeeper has already ensured that the BINZEL Bees have successfully hibernated in spring, she could already make all preparations for the busy season in the warm months of the bee year. Especially in the first months, there are many things to pay attention to. Although winter is over, the weather in March and April is usually very unstable. Therefore, it must be guaranteed that there is still enough winter food in the hive and that the brood nest is centred. The next tasks in spring are to check the strength and health of the colony. In addition, queen accuracy is ensured, i. e. that the queen is in the process of laying eggs. Now only some old honeycombs, mostly edge honeycombs, have to be replaced by new honeycombs and the BINZEL Bees can make a full start on boosing the honey production.

As soon as the bees have survived the cold days and the willow and fruit blossom begins, the workers start searching for pollen, nectar and water at full speed and the queen lays more and more eggs. Now nothing can stop the production of honey. More about this next time!