Installing a package of bees
Monitor food reserves.
Feed medicated (Fumagilin-B) light syrup (1:1) to hives low on stores. Scrape bottom boards and check the brood pattern on a mild day.
Install package bees April 15th or later and feed light syrup medicated with Fumagillin (PDF).
Apply mite treatments to wintered colonies if Varroa are detected (mid-late April) in the drone brood.
If you medicate hives with Terramycin (PDF), dust according to label instructions.
Make plans for attending EAS this Summer in Rhode Island
Continue feeding nucs and package bees until they have drawn out the comb in their brood chambers.
This monthly post is adapted from “The Beekeepers Calendar, A Year In The Apiary-Central Maine” by Tony Jadczak, Maine State Apiarist
