I don’t think about our honey bees during the winter months when their hives sit covered in snow. But, by March, I start wondering if they will fly again to gather their nectar and make honey. March and April can be deadly months for the honeybee. I secretly pray for them, and hope warmer days are not followed by frigid nights.
Their food supplies are low and if it’s a cold spring,
like this year, they could succumb to the harsh spring weather. To
assist them thru this period, my husband feeds a sugar water solution which
bolsters their food source.
The honeybees are an important part of our farm. They’re just as significant as the sheep,
horses, and chickens. I have long passed
the stage where I thought of them as a menacing bunch of insects out to sting
me, but now see a magical collective with a unique and fascinating
behavior. They provide us with a prized
food, and make sure our gardens are bountiful.
I have a reverence for them, and a loss would be upsetting.
I look forward to sitting on our porch watching them
work, bringing pollen back to the hive.
It lets us know their feeding brood and building strength. It
also tells me they’ve made it thru the winter and for the moment all is right
with the world.
-Trish