BilletHead Bees?

[Oneshot1]

How is the Bees doing with this mild weather.

I’ve been seeing a few thinking it’s too early.

oneshot 

[BilletHead]

21 minutes ago, Oneshot1 said:

How is the Bees doing with this mild weather.

I’ve been seeing a few thinking it’s too early.

oneshot 

           Hey buddy actually really well. Had one loss last fall and three other dead outs over the winter. I really do not think this is too bad out of 18 hives. One more looks a bit slow at the entrance, but I did see pollen going in it. All the others are going crazy with pollen going in. Very busy. If we could kust get a break in this drought cycle, I could get a good harvest in the fall. 

    I have a jar of honey earmarked for you when we head east again to fish Bennett. 

[Oneshot1]

3 hours ago, BilletHead said:

           Hey buddy actually really well. Had one loss last fall and three other dead outs over the winter. I really do not think this is too bad out of 18 hives. One more looks a bit slow at the entrance, but I did see pollen going in it. All the others are going crazy with pollen going in. Very busy. If we could kust get a break in this drought cycle, I could get a good harvest in the fall. 

    I have a jar of honey earmarked for you when we head east again to fish Bennett. 

Sounds good I’m going to be feeding more this year with my flowers.

I’m watching for it to get cold with all this tease.

Their doing a bunch at Bennett we found a good place for me to fish North side of the county no Trout but we can drive right to the water.

oneshot

[jdmidwest]

4 out of 5 made it thru this winter.  Getting new frames ready this weekend and working on equipment.  Gonna make early splits this year and build up hives to 8 if all works well.  Honey harvest out of 5 hives last season only made 4 gallons.  One was a swarm catch and 2 others swarmed out at the farm without me watching closely.  Only 2 made some honey.

Wet spring last year then drought, nothing for them to work on.

This year is setting up way to early, greening up here.  Maples just bloomed last week and now, boom, its green.  70 degree temps and some good slow rain greened it up way too soon.

[Oneshot1]

16 hours ago, jdmidwest said:

4 out of 5 made it thru this winter.  Getting new frames ready this weekend and working on equipment.  Gonna make early splits this year and build up hives to 8 if all works well.  Honey harvest out of 5 hives last season only made 4 gallons.  One was a swarm catch and 2 others swarmed out at the farm without me watching closely.  Only 2 made some honey.

Wet spring last year then drought, nothing for them to work on.

This year is setting up way to early, greening up here.  Maples just bloomed last week and now, boom, its green.  70 degree temps and some good slow rain greened it up way too soon.

I agree we still have Blackberry Winter.

My Fruits are Blooming and I have no reason to think Frost isn’t going to get them.

This from a guy that just opened his Greenhouse because it is too warm.

oneshot 

[jdmidwest]

And the storms cranking up tonite are early too.  But, about the same time a year ago when the big tornados came from Arkansas and ended in Illinois right over my places.  It was freaky then too, about stepped on a big water snake the next morning running down to the branch to fetch a bucket of water to flush a toilet after the tornado killed the power the night before.

This year, I had the same snake swimming in the same place the day after Christmas.

[jdmidwest]

On 3/9/2026 at 9:37 AM, Oneshot1 said:

How is the Bees doing with this mild weather.

I’ve been seeing a few thinking it’s too early.

oneshot 

My take on bees and winters like this.  One would think their instinctive nature would make enough stores to be dormant for about 3 months during one of our normal winters.  They do not like to fly under 50 degrees, but will make a short purging flight to ride themselves of waste in 40.  You can only hold your poop for so long.

When days get above 50 during that 3 month period, they will be active.  Activity burns stored honey faster and wears out the bees wings sooner.  It takes days off the back end in the spring essentially.  The queen does not start a new generation until late January, it takes around 3 weeks for them to mature into workers.  That is usually timed with the first Maple tree bloom to supply some nectar and pollen.

This year, Maples, then a week later, I am seeing danderlions, Bradford Pears, Easter Flowers, small purple flowers in fields, and many other sources of food for them.  But winter colonies are at the weakest now without extra workers to go out and forage.  A strong cold snap could be the death of a hive.  Wet weather complicates it more, they don't fly and pollen and nectar gets watered out.