It's the beginning of a new beekeeping year. This is an opportunity to form a good habit. I keep a Composition notebook that I got at Dollar Tree for a dollar plus tax. On the cover I wrote "Bee Log." Everything I do in beekeeping, I make a note in my bee log. Making the notations must become a habit. When did I see the bees flying? When did I put syrup on hive No. 9? It is very important to keep track of the dates that you applied a Varroa d. treatment because most of the treatments require a follow up visit to remove the plastic strip, foil pan, or something. I try to record when I first noticed Deadnettle and Henbit blooming. I cannot tell them apart. When did I first notice Privet blooming? Last summer, I read Dr. C.C. Miller's Fifty Years Among the Bees. Dr. Miller kept a record of each hive utilizing one page for two or three hives. He recorded the age of the queen, the population, their mood, honey production. Dr. Miller started a new notebook each year. I expect my notebook will last four years. That's how long the previous notebook lasted.
