Spring arrived at the bee yard last week with 70° days and flowers blooming everywhere. Most hives now have several frames of capped brood and additional frames with lots of larval and eggs. I’ve heard that a frame of brood can produce 3,000 bees so the hive numbers can jump very fast this time of year. I have lots of space for bees, brood, pollen and nectar so bring on the bees! My hives are now four medium supers minimum and some are  five. I added foundation mixed with comb to give the wax production a place to go and will carefully watch for signs of swarm preparation.

Mite drop boards and drone brood checks indicated some mite problems so treatment is ongoing for the hives with mite issues. So far the bees are doing well.