Welcome to the Lane County Beekeepers Association!

LCBA March 17, 2026 Meeting

Location: Irving Grange, 1011 Irvington Dr, Eugene

Early Meeting 6:30pm: Double Screen Board

General Meeting 7:30pm: Fungi & Bees via Zoom at the meeting

Lane County Bee School 2026

 Seasonal Reminder:

March is one of the most important months in the beekeeper’s calendar. It begins  the critical transition from winter into spring. This has several major effects on your bee colonies, all of which need special attention, and action, from you – the beekeeper.

First, as we approach the Spring Equinox (Friday, March 20, at 7:46AM PST) the days lengthen and the weather gradually gets more stable and milder. In your hives, this triggers the queen to lay more eggs and the workers to transition into intense brood rearing. This has two significant impacts: the hive will begin eating more food resources, and on cold nights there is more area in the hive that the bees need to keep warm. Both of those factors mean increased food consumption and that is why March is when most colonies die from starvation. You may check your hives (usually by ‘hefting’ a corner) and think that they still have plenty of food. Or you may add dry sugar or fondant and think they are fine. But a rapidly increasing population may eat all the food in a couple of weeks. The other problem could be that the bee cluster is separated from the honey frames by an empty frame or two, and they won’t break the cluster or leave the brood to travel to the honey. The solution is that you must check your hives frequently and Feed, Feed, Feed!

Secondly, at this end-of-winter time, the “fat bees” that were born last fall are nearing the end of their lifespan. If there is a significant die off of this generation, and not enough new bees are old enough for foraging, food supplies will suffer. (Adult bees will normally not begin foraging until about 22 days after emerging.) There is the added problem that in the PNW (and most northern regions) there are very few sources of nectar. A lot of pollen (especially tree pollen) may be coming in, but not nectar. The pollen actually stimulates more brood production, but doesn’t provide the carbohydrates the colony needs for feeding the brood and staying warm. You need to continue providing some form of sugar until the nectar flow begins. Feed, Feed, Feed!

Third, MITES! With the surge of brood, and particularly drone brood, comes a surge in mite population. Along with the fall, this is an extremely important time to knock down that population. On a nice warm day (65 degrees or better) you can go into the hive and do an alcohol wash to measure the mite load.

You should have less than 1-2% (0-6 mites per 300 bees in the wash). Ideally, you should be 0-1% going into the spring. Treat as needed to get to this level. We have links to good information  on mite control on the LCBA website under "RESOURCES & INFO,, then "PESTS& DISEASES'. And we also have some great videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LCBA_OR But while you are in the hive, you should do a quick inspection to ensure that the hive is in good shape. Certainly, look for the queen or eggs to determine that the colony is "queen right.,

Finally, the early spring brings the emergence of the dreaded Yellow Jackets. This is the time to put ut Yellow Jacket queen traps. The queens emerge and begin looking for a place to make a nest. Once  some of their brood hatches, they will certainly go after your bees! I have found that the reusable trap made by RESCUE!Seems to work very well, but get the 10-week supply type. Then hang it at least 20 feet from your hives, and 4-6 feet high in a sunny, sheltered area. Remember, for every queen you trap, it will eliminate a nest that may hold up to 5,000 or more nasty insects.

Beekeeping is often a lifelong journey, and like any good journey, it should continue to challenge and excite you along the way.

Happy Beekeeping!   Norm

 __________________________________________________________