Each and every day we see just a little more of the ground!
Less snow, more water....more mud!
Just about everywhere you look there is a small stream of water flowing...
eventually reaching the lowest part of the farm...
the pond.
Afternoon chore time is delightful...warm and breezy.
Yesterday, while cleaning the dry lot (wet lot)...
I became aware of a buzzing sound.
"Rats...the flies are out already!" I thought.
And then I looked at the ground and saw lots and lots of honey bees buzzing around.
(I have noticed that for some reason honey bees are attracted to horse urine.)
These had to be my honeybees, because no one else in the area has bees.
With anticipation, I quick ran to the bee garage, threw on a bee shirt and gloves, grabbed a feeder and sugar water, and headed to the bee yard.
I cannot tell you how happy I was to see one of my hives with bees busily buzzing around it.
There were hundreds of dead bees on the ground in front of the hive...
the work of the bee maintenance crew...
they clean out all dead bees and push them over the edge.
I lifted the roof and added the feeder and sugar water.
With no available nectar, and their honey stores surely depleted from this brutal winter...
I knew they would be honey.
Sugar water will assure their survival until the blossoms emerge in the coming weeks.
The bees have had a few rough years...
colony collapse disorder and brutal winters have all but eradicated our bee colonies.
Thank goodness we have one strong colony left.
With any luck, this colony will continue to thrive through the summer.
Of course that depends upon the health of the queen.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I still want to add more hives, but with this summer's extra activities (wedding and such),
I have decided to tackle that project next summer.
PS....don't forget to check back tomorrow afternoon for the winner of the apron giveaway!!
PS....don't forget to check back tomorrow afternoon for the winner of the apron giveaway!!
Comments
Yay for bees! That's a SURE sign Spring is right around the corner! I'm excited! :-)
That is really interesting about the bees. Is it normal for so many to die like that?
~Jessica