There’s No Need for Artificial Pollen Feeding Early in the Season -Winter Bees Already Prepared the Colony for Spring
In early spring we usually perform our first full in-depth inspection of the year. Blooming just started the weather is mild, stable and perfect for finally opening the colonies properly after winter. What we find inside is exactly what every beekeeper hopes to see in early spring: strong expanding colonies, beautiful brood patterns and healthy populations already moving confidently into the new season. What is surprisingb though is this: There are no large pollen reserves stored inside most of the hives. Very little, actually are present. Almost everything that's coming into the colony now is being consumed immediately rather than stored. And yet the brood nests are booming. This is important because every spring, advice floods through the beekeeping world telling people they must feed artificial pollen patties early in the season to “help the bees raise brood.”But the reality is far more nuanced than that. In many cases, especially during the first early brood cycles...