Sunny… and right about 50f(10c)…
Got out for a short walk today… my bees(as much as one can call any Apis their own) were flying, the sun was out and I took the opportunity to hunt down some Hazelnut trees… to see if they were in bloom yet, and to see if the bees were collecting pollen from them.
Alas, the catkins are in bloom, at least starting to bloom, did see two honey bees in the tree a few blocks from my house… not the frenzy that I was hoping to see, but as there was not much pollen going into the hives it was no surprise.
It’s always good to see the bees flying this time of year, there is always the worry that they will not make it thru the winter, and to see the pollen coming in is true excitement… pollen being the protein source for the raising up of new young bees(with out this boon of pollen in late winter there might not be enough bees to bring a hive in to spring with any hope of survival).
This year is the first that the catkins have bloomed this late… it seems that the past 6 years they have been in bloom right about the second week of January. The weather has been very cold this winter. Most of this week is is going to be flying weather for the bees… I expect to see the pollen flowing any day now.
Expected tempuratures for the next five days: Highs: 48/58f(9/14c) :: Lows: 29/39f (-2/4c)
Tags: Catkins, honey bees