Winter, I hardly knew ye

Our winter in Southern Maryland has been so mild that you can't really call it winter at all. Mostly, our daytime temps have been from the 40's to the 60's and overnights didn't drop below freezing until mid-January. Yesterday was near 70! The OV hive never clustered but the Sasha hive had honey until just a few weeks ago. Been feeding both hives, splitting a batch of fondant every 3-4 days and the bees have been bringing in pollen for a few weeks now.

There has been much discussion on the BUMBA list-serve on whether to feed sugar syrup with our mild temps. Some have but I was worried about the cold nights and the added moisture that would add to the hive. I know it is time for the queen to ramp up her laying but it is still just February, after all.

So I'll be patient another few weeks and then will do a full inspection, swap the boxes, super up, check for swarm cells, etc. In the meantime, I put together my 3rd hive and get it painted. Another season of beekeeping begins.