UMD Bee Lab - Last Week in the Apiary

April 14th, 2026

4/14/2026

6 swarm cells, removed from their frames, sitting on top of a hive cover.

Swarm cells removed from one colony during splitting. Photo by Eric Malcolm, April 10, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 13 hours 03 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 13 minutes
Total Colonies: 60
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 86°
Low: 30°
Avg: 54.07°
Total Precipitation: 0.62”

Actions:
Monitored colonies (n=16) to prep to split as they prepare to swarm. Made splits (n=11) from overwintered colonies, including making 3-4 FOB splits (n=6), equal in size and resources to the 28 existing project colonies. Checked project colonies recently installed from packages (n=28) for queen acceptance or absconding. Culled emergency queen cells from splits that were left queenless (n=2).

Treated project colonies (n=30) from packages with Oxalic Acid Vapor, 4g each.
Fed project colonies 1 gallon of 1:1 (n=30)

Observations:
A lot of colonies were preparing to swarm. Our main factor for deciding when to make splits was finding charged swarm cells with eggs or larvae present. In a 1 deep and 1 medium box hive, the average population was usually around 16.5 FOBs, which is every frame full of bees. One additional package colony absconded. Temperament of most colonies has been wonderful and pleasant to work with minimal hand protection.

Reflections:
This was the busiest week in the bees yet this year. With more colonies and more various tasks that must be done based on where each colony is at with their growth, we are relying heavily on our records for making management decisions like what colonies need to be split (and when), what colonies will need to have emergency queen cells culled prior to requeening next week, and which queens we want to keep in the operation and where they are located after all of the splitting and moving. Still finding that monitoring is key to understanding the rate of growth of individual colonies and when they will need to be split to avoid losing the swarms.

Things in bloom: Purple Deadnettle, Wild Daffodil, Ivy-leaved Speedwell, Hairy Bittercress, Oriental Paperbush, Forsythia, Common Stork’s bill, European Field Pansy, Dandelion, Lesser Celandine, Garlic Penny-cress, Saucer Magnolia, Yoshino Cherry, Grape Hyacinth, Japanese Andromeda, Kanzan Cherry, Eastern Redbud, Wisteria, Giant Snowflake, Shepherd’s Purse, Lilac, Norway Maple, Henbit deadnettle, American Sweetgum, Eastern Redbud, Lenten Rose, Blackhaw Viburnum

Last Week in the Apiary - 1st Week of April 2026

4/6/2026

An open beehive with a shim in place from winter feeding. There are lots of burr comb drawn between the top of the frames and the inner cover, claiming the space left by the shim..

A rapidly growing colony filling the space between a shim from winter feeding and the inner cover. Photo by Eric Malcolm, April 3, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 9 hours 30 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 11 minutes
Total Colonies: 53
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 87°
Low: 26°
Avg: 57.7°
Total Precipitation: 0.06”

Actions:
Installed packages (n=30) in preparation for a project. Weeded and removed dead wood and grasses from two yards. Checked colonies for signs of swarming (n= 18). Split 3 colonies that had swarm cells with eggs or larvae present. Performed mite washes on overwintered colonies (n=3) that exhibited defensive temperaments or spotty brood patterns.

Fed all remaining packages (n=26) 1 gallon of 1:1 syrup
Applied Formic Acid (n=1) when alcohol wash results revealed 2.33% mite load (2.33 mites per 100 bees)

Observations:
Four packages absconded after installation. The commonality between them was the queen cage was installed directly below the feeder can and queens and cages were soaked. We saw many swarm cups (no eggs), some were primed with a small drop of honey. Two out of three mite washes had .33 or fewer mites per 100 bees. Our action threshold is 2 mites per 100 bees (2%) or higher. There were lots of nectar, pollen, and brood of all stages in the colonies. Many should be prepared to split by next week.

Reflections:
It is important to respect our bodies and limitations when they tell us it’s time to take a break… and I’m sure we will as soon as the beekeeping season is over. Monitoring colony growth and checking and managing mite loads early are all good steps to ensure a great start to your beekeeping season.

Things in bloom: Red Maple, Purple Deadnettle, Wild Daffodil, Ivy-leaved Speedwell, Hairy Bittercress, Saucer Magnolia, Oriental Paperbush, Forsythia, Bradford Pear, Common Stork’s bill, European Field Pansy, Dandelion, Lesser Celandine, Garlic Penny-cress, Star Magnolia, Saucer Magnolia, Okame Cherry, Yoshino Cherry, Grape Hyacinth, Japanese Andromeda

Last Week in the Apiary - 4th Week of March 2026

4/2/2026

A queen with a light blue marking on her thorax has wings that appear to be a little tattered on the ends. She is surrounded by busy workers and a few attendants.

A close up of a blue marked queen with tattered wings spotted this week during inspections. Photo by Eric Malcolm, March 26, 2026

Time in the Yard: 4 hours 10 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 17 minutes
Time in Barn: 8 hours 15 minutes
Total Colonies: 23
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 80°
Low: 32°
Avg: 53.2°
Total Precipitation: 0.24”

Actions:
In the yard: Performed full inspections (n=15) to get an idea of colony strength and when they will be ready to split. Added space to strong hives. Consolidated brood into bottom box of smaller colonies.
In the barn: Gathered deep boxes with drawn comb and foundation. Cleaned old frames, put in new foundation, and applied wax.

Observations:
Not much pollen sub was consumed after last week’s feeding. Lots of drones have emerged. Saw signs of swarm preparation including very few swarm cells with eggs and swarm cups containing very small amounts of honey.

Reflections:
Seeing the variation of swarm preparation in our colonies really emphasizes the importance to monitor colony growth and population in the early spring to help avoid losing colonies and resources to swarms.

Things in bloom: Silver Maple, Red Maple, Purple Deadnettle, Wild Daffodil, Ivy-leaved Speedwell, Hairy Bittercress, Apricot, Saucer Magnolia, Oriental Paperbush, Forsythia, Bradford Pear, Common Stork’s bill, European Field Pansy, Dandelion, Hellebore, Weeping Cherry, Weeping Willow, Pussy Willow, Lesser Celandine, Garlic Penny-cress, Star Magnolia, Saucer Magnolia, Grape Hyacinth, Japanese Andromeda

Last Week in the Apiary - 3rd Week of March 2026

3/23/2026

A single shiny bee with deformed wings sits at the bottom of a frame. Behind it a small hive beetle can be seen near an open cell and capped brood.

A single shiny bee with deformed wings. Photo by Eric Malcolm, March 20, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 2 hours
Avg Time per Colony: 11 minutes
Total Colonies: 23
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 71°
Low: 23°
Avg: 45.5°
Total Precipitation: 0.63”

Actions:
Fed colonies 1 gallon of 1:1 and between 0.5 and 1lb of pollen substitute (10+ FOBs received 1lb).

Fed 1gal of 1:1 (n=5) and .5 to 1lb of pollen sub (n=12).
Applied prophylactic Oxalic Acid Vaporization treatment 4g per brood box (n=9).

Observations:
Bees were very active outside the hive entrances and were bringing in lots of light-yellow pollen. Blooms of both female and male Red Maple trees are present at one of our yards, and these trees are abundant in our area. A single shiny bee with deformed wings was observed in one colony; this is noteworthy because it is unusual to see this sign of viral pressure at this time of year, but since it is only one bee, we are not worried.

Reflections:
More flowers are blooming, average temperatures are increasing, and we are realizing that the time to split is creeping up. We are looking forward to starting mite testing and are considering applying a formic treatment if the weather cooperates and monitoring indicates a need (more than 2 mites per 100 bees).

Things in bloom: Silver Maple, Red Maple, Common Chickweed, Purple Deadnettle, Wild Daffodil, Ivy-leaved Speedwell, Hairy Bittercress, Apricot, Saucer Magnolia

A close up of male Red Maple blooms.

The blooms of Red Maple trees, female (left) and male (right). Photo by Eric Malcolm, March 11, 2026

Last Week in the Apiary - 2nd Week of March 2026

3/23/2026

A block of rendered wax, a blue propane torch, and a deep frame that has freshly applied wax on it sitting on top of a stack of hive boxes.

Using a block of rendered wax and a blowtorch to apply wax to frames to encourage bees to draw wax. Photo by Eric Malcolm, March 11, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 4 hours 5 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 17.5 minutes
Time in Barn: 6 hours
Total Colonies: 23
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 84°
Low: 25°
Avg: 54.9°
Total Precipitation: 0.66”

Actions:
In the barn: we mixed 25lbs of pollen substitute and formed into 1lb patties, purchased bags of sugar, mixed six 5-gallon buckets of 1:1, and waxed thirty deep frames.
In the yard: we finished performing first rounds of full colony health inspections (5), fed colonies to stimulate brood rearing and comb building, combined 2 drone layer (DL) colonies with 2 smaller queen right (QR) colonies, removed unused equipment from the apiary. Added boxes of foundation (frames) to strong colonies to begin drawing comb (3).

Fed 1gal of 1:1 (14) and .5 to 1lb of pollen sub (12).

Observations:
All colonies are beginning to increase brood production. Most colonies have at least some capped brood. A few colonies are just starting to cap brood. Drones seen walking in strong colonies. Capped drones that we uncapped were at or between the larval or white-eyed pupae stage. Most colonies inspected this week all had around 1 super of capped food stores. The feeding was intended to stimulate colonies to produce more brood for heavy splitting planned for early April due to plans to do heavy splitting.

Reflections:
It was frustrating and challenging doing a newspaper combine while fighting against high winds. We are looking forward to equalizing all our colonies in a few weeks once they are stronger. We forgot to charge our OAV applicator batteries over the weekend, so we did not finish applying treatments this week. We will need to complete our initial prophylactic treatments next week.

Things in bloom: Crocus, Snowdrop, Silver Maple, Red Maple, Common Chickweed, Purple Deadnettle, Wild Daffodil, Ivy-leaved Speedwell

Last week in the Apiary - 1st week of March 2026

3/6/2026

An open beehive during the first full inspection of the year. There are many frames full of bees and drone larvae and pupae can be seen between the top and bottom frames.

A strong colony coming out of winter with lots of bees and drone brood in burr comb between tops and bottoms of frames. Photo by Eric Malcolm, March 5, 2026, Glenn Dale, MD.

Time in the Yard: 3 hours 45 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 13 minutes
Total Colonies: 25
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 65°
Low: 29°
Avg: 43.6°
Total Precipitation: 0.34”

Note:
We are planning to finish remaining inspections, feed colonies and combine the DL/LW colonies with 4 or 5 FOB colonies that have good brood patterns in the following week.

Actions:
Performed full inspections (17) and started prophylactic OAV treatment on colonies.

Treated with Oxalic Acid vaporization (17), 4 grams per brood box.

Observations:
Found 3 drone layer (DL) /laying worker (LW) colonies. One of the dead-out colonies from a previous cold-weather inspection is not dead after all! Colonies consumed most of the fondant provided February 19th. Some colonies came out of winter with small populations (1.5 to 4 frames of bees (FOB)). Most queens are laying and display solid brood patterns. Some smaller colonies are just starting to lay or cap worker brood while strong colonies have begun rearing drones, some of which are capped or emerged.

Reflections:
Feeding pollen sub and 1:1 syrup a little earlier may have been helpful since we are planning to expand our operation this year, but that is hard to know without inspecting earlier.

Things in bloom: Crocus, American Witch-hazel, Snowdrop

Evidence of a drone layer queen. Photo by Eric Malcolm, March 5, 2026.

A medium frame from a beehive with half of cells containing honey and the other half containing capped and young brood.

Small sections of capped brood next to capped honey. Photo by Eric Malcolm, March 5, 2026.

Honey bees storing food resources. At the bottom of the image there are bees with corbiculae full of a light yellow pollen. In the top center three bees can be seen with heads in adjacent cells.

A busy frame of bees, several with light yellow pollen. Photo by Eric Malcolm, March 5, 2026.

Last Week in the Apiary - 4th Week of February 2026

3/4/2026

Two stacks of deep hive bodies with recently cleaned frames and new foundation. On the top of a shorter stack there is a deep frame showing new, waxed foundation.

Deep boxes with recently replaced foundation to be put on later in March. Photo by Eric Malcolm, 3/4/2026

Time in Barn: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Colonies: 24
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 56°
Low: 25°
Avg: 37.1°
Total Precipitation: 0.69”

Actions:
No bee work done.
Worked in barn to remove old foundation and clean 90 Deep frames that had mouse or wax moth damage. Replaced with new foundation. We plan to add these in mid or late March to be drawn out with wax. Started preparing equipment to make splits.

Observations:
We had 3 days in the 50°s this week and are starting to feel the urge to get out to inspect colonies. Last year, first inspections were completed on the first week of March and we felt very prepared with data supporting our early season management decisions to prevent swarming and Varroa infestation.

Reflections:
We are grateful for being able to take time to carefully plan and prepare for making splits and requeening colonies before spring arrives. This practice will help us avoid the loss of bees and honey due to swarming while reducing stress when the time approaches to take action.

Things in bloom: Crocus, American Witch-hazel, Snowdrop

Last Week in the Apiary - 3rd Week of February 2026

2/27/2026

A very small cluster of bees that perished during the winter. Photo by Eric Malcolm, February 19, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 1 hour 58 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 5 minutes
Time in Barn: 3 hours
Total Colonies: 24
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 55°
Low: 32°
Avg: 40.5°
Total Precipitation: 1.04”

Actions:
Cut and prepared twenty-five 4lb fondant patties on parchment paper for supplemental feeding. Unconsumed fondant that had been placed above the inner cover nine weeks ago was moved below the inner cover to ensure direct contact with the bees. Replaced two sets of top and inner covers that had been blown off by strong winds. Added additional bricks to all lids to secure them to prevent displacement.

Fed 4lb of fondant to 15 colonies. Fed when fondant had not been applied at the previous feeding or if 1lb or more had already been consumed.

Observations:
Three colonies were lost due to suspected queen failure and/or viral pressure. Dead colonies had very small, queenless clusters in direct contact with food stores at time of death. Colonies fed nine weeks ago still had some or all of the fondant remaining. Colonies that entered winter with full food stores have now reached the top of the hive, with most retaining ¼ to ¾ of a super of capped stores. One colony still had a full super of capped stores.

Reflections:
Examining dead colonies can help identify potential causes of loss; however, thorough records are far more helpful for post-mortem assessments. After reviewing our inspection records we were able to gain better insight on each colony’s cause of loss including; queen events throughout the season, populations that failed to thrive despite supplementation and being combined, sustained low or high mite loads, and when/if populations began declining.

Things in bloom: American Witch-hazel

The inner cover of a beehive in the winter, showing bees coming through the ventilation hole after the telescoping lid was removed.

The same beehive as in the previous picture after the inner cover was opened, revealing a cluster of bees that has reached the top of the hive.

Upon removal of the telescoping lid, we found this cluster had reached the top of the super. While they still had capped food stores left, this is a good indicator that they are reaching the end of those stores and may require feeding. Photo by Eric Malcolm, February 19, 2026.

Fondant applied 9 weeks prior above the inner cover using a wooden shim. About 1/4 of the fondant has been consumed.

A 4lb fondant patty placed 9 weeks ago above the inner cover using a wood shim. Below the parchment paper, bees are still consuming the fondant. Photo by Eric Malcolm, February 19, 2026.

Last Week in the Apiary - 2nd Week of February 2026

2/17/2026

A honey bee forager stops for a moment on a slowly thawing block of ice and snow during a warm February day.

A honey bee forager stopping on a ice covered bed of snow on a warm winter day in February. Photo by Kelly Finn, February 10, 2026, Savage, MD.

Time in the Yard: 0 minutes
Time in the Barn: 0 minutes
Total Colonies: 27
Temperature (°F):
Hi: 54°
Low: 9°
Avg: 29.9°
Total Precipitation: 0”
Note: What we “know” about honey bees and beekeeping can quickly change with new findings. Regularly attending local meetings has shown to help reduce colony loss. Check your local beekeepers association website for details on upcoming presentations, classes, or learning opportunities!

Actions:
No bee work done.

Observations:
Daylight is starting to last a little longer, the snow and ice are starting to melt. Bees were out on cleansing flights and performing undertaker duties on the warmer days of the week.

Reflections:
When temperatures reach over 45°F, clusters break and colonies consume more food resources. Checking food stores is important to avoid preventable losses. Starvation is a common cause of loss in late winter. We will be feeding another round of fondant to colonies in need soon.

Things in bloom:
None observed.

Last Year in the apiary - Molecular Diagnostics Results from 2025

2/12/2026

Note: To change view, click the 3 horizontal bars on the top left of the PDF viewer below.

Last Week in the Apiary - 1st Week of February 2026

2/12/2026

A view of the plowed driveway leading to the bee barn after being cleared of snow and ice.

A view of the bee barn after the driveway has been cleared of snow and ice! Photo by Eric Malcolm, February 2, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 0 minutes
Time in the Barn: 1 hour
Total Colonies: 27
Hi Temp: 40°
Low Temp: 13°
Avg Temp: 25.4°
Total Precipitation: 0”

Actions:
Cleaned up in the barn, moved 2 old broken freezers, and received and installed a new larger deep freezer for freezing comb and equipment.

Observations:
The heavy snow and ice from last week has made accessing colonies a challenge.

Reflections:
Extreme gratitude to the CMREC Beltsville farm manager and team for clearing out the driveway area leading to the bee barn! This would have been quite a shoveling job to receive our freezer delivery.

Things in bloom:
None observed.

The new 25 cubic feet freezer, located in the corner of the bee barn.

The new 25 cubic feet freezer can allegedly hold around fifteen deep hive boxes, we will see. Photo by Eric Malcolm, February 2, 2026.

Last Week in the Apiary - 4th Week of January 2026

2/12/2026

Kim Mehalick covers administrative topics and terminology in the beginning of the Maryland State Beekeepers Association

The Nucs and Splits Class offered each year by Maryland State Beekeepers Association, hosted at University of Maryland in College Park, is a wonderful opportunity to learn during this time of year! Photo by Eric Malcolm, February 7, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 0 minutes
Time in the Barn: 0 minutes
Total Colonies: 27
Hi Temp: 28°
Low Temp: 8°
Avg Temp: 17.5°
Total Precipitation: 1.77”

Actions:
No bee work done.

Observations:
It was too cold to do anything bee related outside. We also received several inches of snow, sleet, and ice.

Reflections:
When it’s too cold to work bees outside, that is a perfect time to attend meetings, take classes, or catch up on reading!

Things in bloom:
None observed.

Last Week in the Apiary - 3rd Week of January 2026

2/12/2026

A picture of the UMD Clover yard, featuring a line of bee hives with bricks on top, and lots of grass growing over the black ground cover fabric used below the hives. In the forefront of the picture, is a small sapling and dead or dying grass that have grown into the area where hives will be located in the spring.

A picture of the UMD Clover yard after clearing was done. The black ground cloth is now completely visible and the shrubs and grass that had overgrown the ground cover are now cut back and cleared away.

Before clean up and after clean up pictures of the Clover yard.

Time in the Yard: 3 hours 45 minutes
Avg Time per Colony: 37.5 minutes
Total Colonies: 27
Hi Temp: 54°
Low Temp: 9°
Avg Temp: 29.6°
Total Precipitation: 0.1”

Actions:
Cleared overgrown grass and a few small saplings from around a yard that was becoming overgrown to provide safer and easier working conditions for when making splits and other tasks to come in the spring.

Observations:
The cool daytime temperature made cleaning around the hives less stressful since bees were not flying or investigating me while performing the work. Found a black legged tick crawling on my arm after clean up.
Reflections:
It’s feels good to start the season with a clean and tidy bee yard. Keep an eye out for ticks!

Things in bloom:
None observed.

Last Week in the Apiary - 2nd Week of January 2026

1/21/2026

American Witch-hazel showing red flowers in bloom near the end of a thin branch in January 2026.

Yellow flowers of Leatherleaf Mahonia blooming in January 2026.

American witch-hazel and leatherleaf mahonia in bloom in January of 2026. Picture by Dennis vanEngelsdorp, Berwyn Heights, MD.

Time in the Yard: 0 minutes
Time in the Barn: 0 minutes
Total Colonies: 27
Hi Temp: 53°
Low Temp: 19°
Avg Temp: 36.6°
Total Precipitation: 0.95”

Actions:
No bee work done.

Observations:
Most of this week was warm enough to briefly open the inner cover or hinge open the top box to check mortality and food stores.

Reflections:
The warmer weather this week may be cause to check fondant status sooner than we were planning.

Things in bloom:
Leatherleaf Mahonia, American Witch-hazel

Last Week in the Apiary - 1st Week of January 2026

1/12/2026

A single hive in an apiary with leafless trees in the background. The front of the hive is busy with honey bees on the front and in flight returning and exiting the hive.

An active hive on a 61° day in January. Photo by Eric Malcolm, January 7, 2026.

Time in the Yard: 0 minutes
Time in the Barn: 5 hours 15 minutes
Total Colonies: 27
Hi Temp: 61°
Low Temp: 22°
Avg Temp: 37.86°
Total Precipitation: 0.04”

Actions:
Very briefly checked yards and replaced 2 tops that were blown off by the wind and checked entrances for activity, peaked under a few lids to check fondant consumption.In the barn; reassembled the clean and dry top feeders and stacked them in the pole barn. Cleaned two old chest freezers (broken) to make space for a replacement chest freezer. Took time to plan the first part of the season; looking at spring treatment supplies, planning splits to increase colony numbers and avoid losing swarms, and preparing for ordering queens. Cleaned up overgrowth around hives at one apiary.
Observations:
Hives were very active on the warmest day this week! The few hives that were checked have not consumed much/any fondant since it was applied on 12/19/2025.

Reflections:
Checking on the colonies and doing a little outdoor “housekeeping” on a warm day is a treat in early January! It is also refreshing to have a quiet moment to plan and prepare for the 2026 beekeeping season.

Things in bloom: Japanese Camellia, Leatherleaf Mahonia