Good news! We expect to get our new Bee Keeping department completed the first week of April. We will be stocking up on the most common supplies for bee keeping in the northwest. We also have partnered up with Bees Neez in Snohomish to bring package bees to Duvall April 15th. If you want packages (3lb with Italian Queens $110) let me know before then. Also there has been a lot of interest in starting a Bee Keeping club in Duvall. I think it is a great idea and would even volunteer to play host to get it off the ground. We would meet once monthly and create a website to share information. If you are interested I will add your name to the list.
For those with existing hives it is time to feed, feed ,feed. Use a 50/50 sugar syrup (5lb sugar in 1 gallon container filled the rest of the way with HOT water and shook till dissolved, clean milk jugs work great) for spring feeding. Also treat for mites. No matter what you have heard, there is little to no mite resistance bred into to honeybees as of yet. Matt Waddington is having good results with formic acid but anything that works in these temperatures is better than nothing.
If you are getting bees for the first time you should get your hive components assembled and painted soon. When packages come it is important to get them installed right away. I will be more than happy to help you with this.
