A Bunch of Bees Apiary

02/03/2026

I found a photogenic little honeybee on the purple dead nettle that emerges in late winter. Spring is coming!

02/03/2026

A photogenic honeybee enjoying some purple dead nettle that popped up in late February

12/02/2026

What do bees do in Winter Part 4: Now that we've thawed out, the bees were back to work this week. They are working the red maple really hard and will be until something else finally blooms.

After 2.5 weeks of bitter cold in Jan-Feb 2026, the bees are back to work

01/02/2026

Winter

31/01/2026

What bees do in winter part 3: Today they are snug as bugs inside their hives.

24/01/2026

What do bees do in winter part 2:
This is the day before winter storm Fern. It was mid 50's. Apparently the bees were going to the grocery store ahead of the storm like everyone else... They are bringing home balls of lime-green/yellow pollen on their legs, the source of which is the very earliest red maple blooms. This is the source of protein and lipids they will use to raise new bees from eggs the queen is laying right now. So you see: this pollen will turn into Bees. These bees from eggs laid now will take about 40 days to become foragers. Then they will be ready to fly and forage nectar in mid March when the Red Buds and Pear trees are just getting started. This brood up (raising new bees) will continue in the hive over the next few weeks even when it is too cold for the bees to fly. They don't forage much at all when it is less than 50 outside. The next few weeks will be very hard on the bees as they need to keep the center of the brood nest around 95 degrees to raise bees. If we get a honey harvest in 2026 it will be due to diligent preparations they are making now to raise up a work force!

25/12/2025

Merry Christmas, every one!

23/12/2025

Folks always ask me: What do the bees do in winter? Usually when it is cold they eat honey and huddle together to stay warm in the hive. When it gets to 60 like today they do this:

Folks always ask what do bees do in winter. When it is cold they cluster together and keep warm eating honey. When it hits 60F they come out and play like ...

21/12/2025

A honey bee enjoying some black locust blossoms in sight of our hives this past April. This is our Bee of the Year featured on our 2025 honey bottle label!