It’s been in the high 50′s and low 60′s for more than a week now, with lows that often didn’t get below 50. It’s the kind of warm spell you would kill for in mid March that brings the Silver Maple’s into bloom and gives the bees a huge jump start in spring. The kind of day you just want to sit under the maple trees and listen to them literally hum with excitement of the bees. But these above normal temperatures in December bring more concern than anything else. It means the bees are much more active then they normally would be this time of year and that means they are using more of their winter stores, something that is not in good shape after the poor flow this summer and fall. It also means robbing.
I noticed one hive this past Tuesday at home that had considerably more activity than the others and sure enough, the activity was robbing. A quick peek under the cover told me it was too late for this hive. Chances are that since this hive was too weak to defend it self, it would not have survived the winter anyways. Still It’s depressing to see.
As of last night though the warm spell was over. It ended with lots of rain and now is in the 40′s and is very windy. We still have been fortunate not to get the snow and freezing rain other parts of the country have had.
I strongly agree with your opinions, both about the weather, and about the reactions of the bees to the weather.
I feel bad for the bees that were robbed. My house was robbed once and the bad guys took my Battletoads.
The weather had been hot. Also, it had been windy. The bees were active. Some did not make it.
I am an employee of the Federal Government of Macedonia. Our government has been having severe problems with bears of late, and recent legislation has been largely ineffective. What is your advice?
We are fortunate not to have bears where I live in Ohio, so I really don’t any any experience with bees.