First Bee Check of 2012

This is the first weekend of the year that it's been warm enough to pop the lids off to do a quick check on their stores.  The sun was out, the bees flying a bit and it was hovering around 50F.  Saw a little light yellow pollen coming in.

I didn't pull any frames beyond the first frame behind the follower and my goal was not to find brood but to check honey/sugar stores and for life. Happy to report they all survived the first big winter storm and the cold January weather.  All hives had dry sugar left at the backs and some were not all that happy I was there snooping around.

Now we just have to get through Feb/March the tough months where starvation is a risk.  Once they decide to start raising new bees food demands will go up and they can easily get over extended and caught off guard by a late winter storm.

Here's a pic from two weeks ago just as the storm was starting to stick.

- Jeff