Spring in the apiary is tricky - the warmer weather brings them out to forage. What joy it is to see the bees, coming back with loaded pollen pants. A sure sign that they have a Queen is pollen coming in - she's laying and the pollen is being stored for protein for the young bees. But, sudden downpours, significant temperature changes and an overall lack of forage means most beekeepers bite their nails to the quick, waiting to see if the colony makes it to April.
Why April? We can open the hive! Inspections begin and there's less chance of doing harm by letting damp cold air in. The warm weather and plentiful forage means the bees will be out foraging and inspections are a lot easier with half the bees out to play.