Mick you have given us some timely advice for spring inspections. I have to admit I usually just check size of colony, brood status and honey stores on first inspection. I will now make a point of checking pollen stores also and feed a supplement if needed. Good video.
I was initially taught by the local bee guru back in the day that around here feeding pollen was unnecessary, partly due to willows being common (it is the historic centre of basket and hurdle making and hundreds of acres were once planted up with willow coppice or withies). Much of that has now been grubbed up as the market declined.
Last springs problematic weather resulted in very poor colony build up initially for most beekeepers and whilst Nosema may have been a factor, I wonder we should reevaluate early pollen availability?
Like Jim, I confess by the time I am opening colonies in ?? late March / April they will probably be bringing in pollen naturally and I take it as a given, but the early damage may have already been done. If “winter” bees are declining, their fat bodies exhausted and new bees are not being raised in sufficient numbers to even replace them, a cold period in March may have been too much for some small undersized clusters in full size hives
I started noting some particularly heavy pollen carrying willows driving around here last spring. I may knock on a couple of doors and ask to take some cuttings to propagate and plant up at the apiary. Obviously it’s necessary to know you are propogating male willows, which would otherwise be impossible to know. Some of their growth may be down to soil moisture but the common goat willow is pretty tolerant of a range of conditions so should be okay. Can’t do any harm.