Here in the heart of Snowdonia, this month marks a profound turning point in our beekeeping year. The mountains and valleys hold a new note, a whisper of change to come. Winter's grip begins to loosen, and our colonies stir with a renewed, quiet purpose.
This shift demands our attention. The queen starts to lay eggs more steadily, and her worker bees must keep a growing patch of brood warm, around 35C! Remaining food stores can vanish with alarming speed and so we carry out weekly "hefting" to assess the weight of the hives and add fondant to those that are coming perilously close to running our of food.
This page is an invitation to walk alongside us. We share the our observations and intervention in this critical time. You'll gain a deeper connection to the natural cycles that shape every jar of Welsh honey we produce.
Overview of March Beekeeping in the UK
This period in the Welsh calendar is defined by a delicate dance between aΒ lingering Winter and the tantalising promise of Spring. Here in Eryri, the weather can be our biggest enemy!
Understanding Bee Behaviour in Late Winter
Inside the hive, the cluster remains the beating heart of the colony. It is a tightly packed sphere of bees generating vital warmth. As the days slowly lengthen, our queen responds by increasing her egg-laying, creating patches ofΒ brood that demand constant heat and more food.
On rare, calm afternoons, we might witness cleansing flights. Our bees emerge briefly, perhaps gathering pollen from the first Snowdrops in the hedgerows around our apiary sites.
March Beekeeping Tasks for a Thriving Colony
Varroa - Disease Considerations in Late Winter
The single greatest challenge to our bees' welfare often lies unseen. Our proactive management of these parasites is a cornerstone of our sustainable stewardship.
We made a video on how we treat for the Varroa Destructor mite
Managing Winter Stores and Feeding Bees
Monitoring Hive Weight and Food Stores
We lift each hive a couple of inches up from the back, a practice called "hefting". This tells us the weight of remaining food stores. A light hive signals a colony burning through its reserves too fast. Strong colonies can consume several kilograms of precious food over a short period. Comparing the weight now to earlier visits shows if they have enough to last until the first nectars from Dandelion and Hawthorn arrive.
As the mountain days slowly lengthen, a colony's need for nourishment can change with surprising speed. Our philosophy here is one of careful judgment. We intervene only when necessary, respecting the natural resilience of our locally-adapted bee stock.
Assessing Fondant and Syrup Requirements
When our queens increase their brood production, the demand for food within the colony accelerates dramatically. A hive that felt reassuringly heavy in January can become worryingly light just a few short weeks later.
Regular hefting tells this story of consumption. Our bees may use over eleven kilograms of stores during this period of growth. We use baker's fondant as our insurance policy. We place blocks of this emergency food directly above the Winter cluster. On cold days, our bees can access it without travelling too far.Β Fondant is preferable to liquid syrup now, as it adds no further moisture to the hive which the small cluster of bees finds hard to disperse.
Feeding bees is not a failure of beekeeping. It is the responsible response to variable Welsh weather and colonies with borderline stores. None of this Winter food finds its way into the honey as the Super boxes (which we use to collect the honey) are not in position yet. It is a fundamental part of our commitment to bee welfare, ensuring they survive to be ready to go in Spring.