Tips for the Month:

• Keep hefting or weighing hives to assess the rate at which stores are consumed over the winter. If you need to top up, feed fondant

• Strap up hives or place a brick on rooves to stop them being blown off in high winds.

• Think about undertaking some study - look at the BBKA website for inspiration.

•  Make up shopping lists of equipment needed for the next season

•  Move hives during a cold spell, particularly if you are moving them within 3 miles of their original site.

•  Review records from the past year to plan next year’s beekeeping breeding policy

•  Clean equipment - flame broodboxes and scrape off wax and propolis.

•  Pay subscriptions to BBKA for next year

• Ensure you have registered your apiary on BeeBase so that if there is disease located in our area you can be contacted by the bee inspectors to stop it from spreading.