Genomics and Applied Biology 2026, Vol.17, No.4, 240-253 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/gab 247 5.3 Spring transition management after overwintering Management after overwintering should focus on the risky transition from a broodless or brood-restricted winter state to renewed brood production. In temperate regions, this late-winter to early-spring period appears to be one of the colony’s most vulnerable phases because resources remain scarce just as brood rearing begins to raise nutritional demand. This seasonal transition differs fundamentally from autumn, because autumn reduces brood and produces winter bees, whereas early spring rapidly increases brood rearing under still-limited resource conditions (Ulgezen et al., 2025). The timing of brood onset is therefore a critical management concern after winter. Colonies resume brood rearing in late winter to build a worker force for spring bloom, but premature brood onset can deplete energy reserves and increase stress, whereas late onset reduces the colony’s ability to exploit early floral resources. Experimental evidence indicates that brood onset is mainly driven by increasing temperature and modulated by photoperiod, suggesting that abnormal warming patterns could shift spring colony phenology in maladaptive ways. Spring transition management should therefore balance rapid recovery with conservation of the remaining winter buffer. The shift from a broodless state to brood rearing increases resource demand while temperatures may still fluctuate, and severe winter depletion makes this transition especially dangerous because the energetic cost of brood initiation draws from limited stores that cannot easily be replenished (Ulgezen et al., 2025). More generally, surviving winter bees must both forage and rear the first new brood in spring, so successful post-winter management depends on preserving enough population strength and stored energy to support both tasks simultaneously. A practical implication is that post-overwintering management should rely on close observation of colony thermoregulation and brood status, not just external weather cues. Stable high comb temperatures and low daily temperature amplitudes within the winter cluster are reliable indicators of brood rearing activity, allowing less invasive detection of spring buildup. This is useful because the timing of spring brood reactivation strongly influences later growth, reproduction, and survival, so early recognition of mistimed or weak colony buildup can support better intervention decisions. 6 Advanced Management Technologies for Improving Honey Yield 6.1 Precision beekeeping and environmental monitoring technologies Precision beekeeping is designed to monitor individual colonies in ways that reduce resource use and strengthen productivity, making it especially relevant for managing seasonal variation in honey flows and colony stress (Catania and Vallone, 2020). Recent reviews add that smart hives can remotely provide real-time information, reduce the need for frequent physical inspections, and lower colony disturbance while still supporting management decisions (Hadjur et al., 2022). The most useful environmental monitoring variables are hive weight, internal temperature, humidity, and external weather conditions, because these measurements track nectar intake, reserve consumption, and thermoregulatory status (Cecchi et al., 2020). Continuous weight monitoring can identify the beginning and end of nectar flow, while internal temperature patterns can reveal reduced thermoregulation and the need for timely intervention (Alleri et al., 2023). Field applications show that these systems can detect direct environmental effects on honey production. In one precision apiculture platform, a drop in external temperature coincided with a short period of no honey production, and wind peaks above 5 m s−1 were also associated with reduced production (Catania and Vallone, 2020). More broadly, sensor fusion approaches that combine hive and environmental data can provide insight into colony status, colony-environment interaction, and climatic influences on performance (Cecchi et al., 2020). Advanced systems increasingly integrate sensor outputs with inspection data and beekeeper actions to improve forecasting rather than only description. Healthy Colony Checklist models combine sensor streams, meteorological data, and field inspections, while digital systems can also record management events such as feeding, harvesting, and disease treatments to better interpret colony responses (Alleri et al., 2023). This makes precision beekeeping useful not only for detecting problems, but also for aligning interventions with seasonal nectar flows and reducing unnecessary apiary visits (Hadjur et al., 2022).
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