First Inspection of the Year: What We Found
After a long Swedish winter, opening the hives for the first time is always a moment of nervous anticipation. This year, the bees surprised us.
The long wait is over
There is no moment in the beekeeping year quite like the first inspection. From November to April the hives at our Svinninge apiary stay closed, and all winter you are left guessing. Did the cluster hold? Did the queen survive? Are there enough stores left to reach the first dandelions? You listen at the entrance on cold days, you heft the back of the hive to judge its weight — but you never truly know until you lift the lid.
This April, on the first still morning above 12 °C, we finally opened them.
What we found
Three of our four colonies came through the winter strong. Lifting the crown board on the first hive, we were met with that low, contented hum every beekeeper hopes for — the sound of a colony that is alive and busy. The cluster had moved up onto fresh stores exactly as it should, and within minutes the first foragers were returning with bright orange pollen on their legs. Willow and crocus, most likely — the earliest forage around Svinninge.
The real surprise was the fourth hive. It was the colony we had worried about all winter: small going into October, light on stores. We had half written it off. Instead it was the liveliest of them all, with a tight brood pattern already across three frames. Bees rarely read the same script we do.
A quick, gentle check
The first inspection is not the time for a full teardown. In early spring the brood chills quickly, so we keep it short and purposeful:
- Is the queen laying? Eggs and young larvae mean she made it and is working.
- Are there stores? A frame or two of capped honey on the edges is insurance against a late cold snap.
- Is the colony healthy? No staining on the front of the hive, no unusual smell.
- Space? Not yet. Crowding the bees with empty boxes too early only chills them.
Notes for the season ahead
We gave the two strongest colonies a little pollen supplement to support the first big wave of brood rearing, and left the others to build naturally. The dandelions are perhaps three weeks away. Until then, every warm afternoon counts.
Opening the hives after a Nordic winter never stops feeling like a small miracle. Five months of darkness, and life simply carried on inside the box. That is the quiet privilege of keeping bees this far north.