Spring Preparation
As winter begins to fade in Southern Alberta, honeybee colonies slowly come back to life. Early spring is a critical time for bees as they recover from the long Alberta winter and prepare for the busy honey season ahead.
During winter, bees stay inside the hive in a tight cluster to keep warm, surviving on the honey they stored the previous summer. As temperatures begin to rise in Southern Alberta, worker bees start taking short flights on warmer days—usually when it reaches around 10–12°C. These early flights help bees stretch their wings, clean the hive, and search for the first sources of pollen.
Inside the hive, the queen begins laying eggs again. Worker bees care for the developing larvae, and the colony slowly grows in size. This increase in population is important so the hive has enough worker bees ready to forage when nectar becomes more abundant later in the season.
Even though spring can arrive slowly in the Foothills County, some plants provide early food for bees. Prairie crocus, willow trees, dandelions, and early blossoms are especially important because they offer pollen that helps feed young bees.
Spring is also when our beekeepers begin checking our hives after winter, making sure the queen is active and the colony has enough food to continue growing.
Although most honey is harvested later in the summer or early fall, the process truly begins in early spring. Strong, healthy colonies built during this time are what make a successful honey season possible.
Did you know?
Bees take “cleansing flights.” After spending months inside the hive during winter, bees fly out on warm spring days to clean themselves and the hive.
A queen can lay up to 1,500 eggs per day once the colony begins growing in spring.
Willow trees are one of the first major food sources for bees in early Alberta spring.
Worker bees born in spring live much shorter lives (about 4–6 weeks) because they work so hard gathering nectar and pollen.
One bee only makes about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime—which shows just how much teamwork goes into every jar.