Bee update

Strange things are happening around here.

On Saturday the temperature rose and rose and rose some more, until we were well above freezing.  Sitting in the living room, Chirp-chirp gasped! 

"Mom!  A bee flew by!"

There are so many things wrong with that statement, but she has a good eye, so I began to wonder...

Last I checked the hive, wasps had settled in and the dear little honeybees were making no effort to chase them off.  Usually, this is a sure sign that the queen is dead and the hive will soon die out, or at least move on.  So, since Halloween, I've just written the bee project off.

"Mom!  I'm not kidding! Another one!"

We have more than a foot of show on the ground, and there aren't any flowers blooming now, nor will there by for another couple of months, at least.  No bee in it's right mind would be flying around in the snow (not that I have any bees, sane or not, out there anymore, ahem!).

Except there you go!  Bees!  Everywhere! If you look closely at this fairly craptastic  cellphone photo, you can see them sunning their fuzzy little souls on the pallet and on the fence just behind the hive cover.

Many of the poor little creatures were coming out the door and landing in the snow, quickly perishing as their little bit of body heat was drained.  I put the board in front as a landing strip of sorts, then put a little sugar water in the blue lid for them to sip at.

We left for the day, and didn't return until the next afternoon.  By then, the weather had reverted to winter and the board was entirely buried in the snow. 

I don't know what to make of it.  I do know that a little more hope for a healthy hive come spring has entered my soul.  The weather is doing its best to quash it, though.