Tips from the Charlie Bee Yard for a Sweet Spring
The nectar flow is nearly here in Central Texas, and we’re getting our hives ready for honey production. Here’s how we prep—and how you can, too.
1. Super Up
We’re adding boxes (called “supers”) to give our bees room to store nectar and cure it into honey. If you don’t provide enough space, bees will backfill the brood nest, slow down the queen, and maybe even swarm. Add supers before you see heavy nectar coming in.
2. Queen Excluders? Not for Us
We skip the queen excluder. While it’s meant to keep the queen out of honey boxes, it can also slow worker traffic and reduce honey production. Most queens stay in the bottom boxes anyway. We prefer a freer-flowing hive.
3. Stop Feeding
Once you add supers, cut the sugar water. You don’t want to harvest syrupy frames—let the bees gather real nectar. If your hive can’t keep up without feed, it’s probably not strong enough for a honey crop yet.
4. Pause Treatments
No mite treatments should be active while honey supers are on. Some products can contaminate your honey. If you haven’t treated yet, hold off until supers are off or consider doing splits as a brood break instead.
5. Manage the Space
Reverse your brood boxes if needed, equalize hives if you’re managing multiple, and stay on top of swarm signs. A healthy, roomy hive is your best path to a full super of golden goodness.
We’ll be covering all this and more at this Saturday’s 9AM workshop. Come by, learn from the bees, and get your gear dialed in for a strong honey season!