Here in Southeastern PA, the temps are getting up into the mid 60's on warm days and back down into the upper 30's during the evening. We may yet get a cold snap and the last official frost date is usually around 1st week of May, but... the bees are bringing in pollen and the queen is trotting around on the frames.
What I don't know is how large of a brood nest to expect this time of year. The one is my hive is maybe the size of a baseball or softball and that's it from what I can tell. I've put frames of stores and empty comb around the brood nest to encourage the process, but so far they're not expanding much. Lots of stores still left in the hive and I put on a pollen sub patty. The major nectar flow around here starts around mid May and goes through June. By end June it's over so any field force they'll need to capitalize on this will need to be up and running by then. They're out and working by when- 3-4 weeks of age?
What I don't know is how large of a brood nest to expect this time of year. The one is my hive is maybe the size of a baseball or softball and that's it from what I can tell. I've put frames of stores and empty comb around the brood nest to encourage the process, but so far they're not expanding much. Lots of stores still left in the hive and I put on a pollen sub patty. The major nectar flow around here starts around mid May and goes through June. By end June it's over so any field force they'll need to capitalize on this will need to be up and running by then. They're out and working by when- 3-4 weeks of age?