Paul, in Missouri, asks why bees seem to use so much honey when the weather
starts to warm up.  Misunderstandings concerning the use of honey in the
spring may be one of the principal reasons why beginners lose bee
populations and, sometimes, entire hives.

Researchers have shown that while the temperature inside a bee cluster in
the dead of winter may be 90 degrees, the temperature a few inches away from
a cluster may be 10 degrees, or lower!  Moreover, the temperature on the
outside of the cluster may be only 50-55 degrees, with the bees just barely
able to move!  These temperature extremes do not harm the bees.

The bees maintain the temperature in the center of the cluster by shivering.
To get the energy necessary to shiver, they consume honey.  Those bees on
the inside of the cluster shiver a lot; the bees on the outside of the
cluster barely move.  Most bees are in between the two, and shiver a little.

During the winter the bees are producing very little to no brood and bees
hatching may be only sufficient to replace bees dying.  As the weather warms
up, more brood is produced.  This brood has to be kept warm, so the cluster
expands and those bees that were formerly shivering a little now have to
shiver a lot.  Those that were on the outside of the cluster (at 50-55
degrees), now must be closer to the brood and are required to shiver...to
produce heat for the brood.  All this additional shivering means much more
honey is consumed.

At some point the population will expand geometrically, then even more honey
is consumed.

Most hives that die from starvation do so in April and May; a many deal more
don't die, but are so weakened that they never recover enough to make a
decent crop.  Spring brood can put a hive under a great deal of stress, and
Paul is wise to keep checking the stores.

All this is reason to either raise your own queens, or buy from a local
breeder.  Successful queens quickly show up, which means they are adapted to
the area of the country where they produce.  Most such adaptations are
inheritable.  In regard to Paul's question, beekeepers are looking for
queens that can properly time the initiation of serious brood production
with a more or less assured supply of nectar and pollen.

I hope this helps.
Lloyd
Lloyd Spear, Owner, Ross Rounds, Inc.  The finest in comb honey production.
www.rossrounds.com