George Fergusson wrote:
>
> Bill Truesdell has suggested that checking your hives in the middle of 
> winter is a waste of time since there's really nothing you can do for 
> them and if they're dead, well, they'll be just as dead come spring. 
> Nonetheless, it just lifts my spirits to see the bees taking advantage 
> of a mild winter day for a quick spin.
I tell my students to check on them in late February or early March. 
There is not much you can do for them in December through mid-February, 
the middle of the winter in Maine. Usually someones asks if they should 
pop the lid and check on them in January. I tell them if they are that 
interested to just put their ear to the side of a hive and hear the 
gentle buzz of live bees. I have done that about every winter that I can 
walk to my hives. Usually there is too much snow.

Most beginning beekeepers want to pop the lid too often.

For their first check, I tell them to check for buzzing and lift the 
back of the hive for weight. That will let them know if they have to buy 
more bees (no buzz) or have to feed (light).

I have found that most colonies that have problems do no linger long 
into winter. They usually die early. Most who have kept bees for a while 
generally know the troubled colonies in the fall, before winter comes. 
Occasionally they prove me wrong and survive.

I also tell them that one of the most critical times of the year is 
right now in late March through April (depending on the arrival of 
warmer weather). I lost a colony that I inspected in early April and it 
was boiling with bees. Had to go away for a bit over a week and returned 
to a dead hive. Starved out. I was new at beekeeping.

Bees will starve late in the season here in Maine and other climates 
where you can go from great flying weather to a sudden cold snap that 
lingers. They are brooded up and protect the brood with their lives. 
They starve with honey no more than an inch away. The easy way to keep 
this from happening is candy. I put a small slab over the cluster and 
they will be able to get all the food they need from it in case of 
sudden cold. Generally they seldom bother with it.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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