Winters over....now what?

[MidwifeBee]

Hi all, hope everyone had a great winter, It looks like we made it thorough here in West Texas it looks like the worst of winter is over, so I have a few questions.
I have peeked in and it looks pretty busy, I am going to open things up all the way next week on one of our 80 degree days. by my observations even though it has warmed up considerably there is no flow so nothing for the girls to eat. So my questions are:
Start feeding? patties and sugar?
when do I add a box for them to draw out and add some space. I am running medium boxes with 8 frames. they look a little cramped.
Our nights are still pretty cool, not freezing but cool. There is much activity outside the hive on the warmer days..........

Thanks so much
Kelli

[Vance G]

When I look at the weather bug on this computer and see that the temp right now is 9 degrees--I think I hate you! That being said, is there any pollen coming in? You should be able to watch them and figure that out in a hurry. If they look crowded, by all means give them some room! You should check for stores to see if they need fed. If they are not short of stores, feeding is your choice. I would imagine it is about getting time for you to have a spring flow. When they stop taking the food or patties, you will know they don't need it anymore. You lucky dog!

[BMAC]

Yeah you should come here. We just got about 15 inches of snow Sunday night. Ha. With that said I am getting ready to go play with bees in Ga.

Where you are located its the time of year to make splits. Make them large so you can get honey from them.

[Growing Boy]

If you haven't already do a full inspection of your hive(s).How's the brood? Stores? Swarm cells?
By rights where you are they should be bringing in buckets of pollen by now unless you had a very dry winter.
Anything blooming? Should be.
I've already done a pre-emptive swarm split and supered. Over here the flow has started.
Oh. I am a couple hundred mile east of you up I 20.

[Risky Beesness]

Having grown up in Odessa / Midland area, I'm sure Kelli and her bees are enduring some high winds and sand storms, almost every day this time of year. I couldn't imagine March / April could be so pleasant until I moved to central Texas. I bet it's a couple weeks away until anything substantial is blooming.

[HONEYDEW]

If your bees are doing really good and you wait till its 80 to open your hive up you'll be watching them swarm away as you get ready to open the hive. Any day above 50 and you can tear into those hives, you wait to long and by by bees...

[Growing Boy]

Having grown up in Odessa / Midland area, I'm sure Kelli and her bees are enduring some high winds and sand storms, almost every day this time of year. I couldn't imagine March / April could be so pleasant until I moved to central Texas. I bet it's a couple weeks away until anything substantial is blooming.

I have to admit I was wondering about that. Even though I've been through there the only thing I could compare it to was beekeeping in eastern Colorado where our first pollen came from purple mustard.
Even though we have lots of stuff blooming here we could use calm dry weather to get the bees out. Cloudy and gusty here right now.
They're doing their best.

[MidwifeBee]

Yes it has been dry dry dry this winter. And right now we are having some good winds occasionally. I will go in immediately and check all the things everyone has suggested..... But splitting wow! Not sure how to do that and then getting a queen for the new hive? I really don't want more than one hive...started with 2 lost one to wax moth. Is there a way to avoid splitting?
Kelli

[MidwifeBee]

Ohhh also we don't have much blooming one tree I've seen can't remember the name big white flowery blooms. And I have not seen any pollen on the girls panty hose yet! : )