After about three weeks of cold and raining weekends, I got a break today. I’d forgotten how hot a bee jacket can get on a warm daybut it was not to hold me back from super switching, mite treatment  and hive evaluation.

Top super to bottom slot except if the frames were old and dark then it was replaced with last years comb. As expected the bottom supers had nothing but comb. No brood, pollen or nectar. The activity was mostly in the middle and top super and in the top spacer I had left on for protein feeding. I violated bee space with this spacer and it provided the perfect place for the artistic license that unguided bees use to build beautiful sculpted comb. As an added bonus, they had nectar and some brood . I felt badly as I removed all their hard work but I had caused a mess from my human perspective.  I get in the way of my bees quiet often.

I did a bit of spring mite treatment, small hive beetle trapping with Scotch Brite™ towels and a plastic beetle trap as is my usual process. Dandelions are staring to bloom, shrubs have small leaves, the maple blooms have finished. Things are starting to get that spring green look.

It doesn’t get any better.