As the heavy snows of of early February melted, I braced for the inevitable flooding.  For a few days, temperatures remained cool and the clouds held back.  The night of the 13th brought unrelenting rain, however, and my low-lying hives suddenly looked like they might be in serious trouble.  An early morning scramble got them up a few feet in the air (and me to work almost on time, thanks to my tolerant, hard-working family!)  I will now be able to drift to sleep to the sound of the rain on the roof without the accompanying bad dreams of drowned hives.

Tuesday night’s LCBA program on spring management by Jonathan Loftin was a great reminder that while we are preoccupied with snow, ice, and winter flooding, the bees’ plans for spring are well on their way.  I welcomed Jonathan’s encouragement to consider how to deal with upcoming issues like varroa, nosema, and swarming; it is definitely time to start thinking about goals for the spring.  There’s equipment to be painted, repaired, and built, and I need to think about where my priorities will be in the next season–a bigger honey harvest? raising nucs? diving into the microscopic depths of pollen analysis?  Spring’s flurry is right around the corner.  What are you plotting?