We had a tough winter: record-breaking snow, record-breaking cold, and record-breaking nail-biting on my part.

February brought the lowest temperature I can remember, a Wisconsin-feeling 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Last year, our coldest was 12, and we complained plenty about how bitter that felt. In that same month, we saw 10 inches of snow in a single day and then two straight weeks with snow on the ground.

Needless to say, our hives were hit hard. We lost 4 of the 9 colonies we went into winter with. On close examination, the lost hives appeared well stocked with honey and pollen. Looking through my notes from last season, I found that the hives we lost were all colonies that swarmed late, in August, September, and October, when I was too busy to manage them as closely as needed.

My best guess is that those late swarms did not leave enough time for queens to mate well and raise sufficient brood before winter. I also found no dead bees in those boxes, so it is possible the queen failed and the workers drifted into other colonies.

A hard winter, young queens, and a difficult move from two bee yards into a brand-new one seem to have stacked the deck against us. This season, I plan to keep much better notes and stay ahead of late-season swarm pressure.