August 19, 2022
This everlasting drought has me deeply worried about our bees. Normally, clover is so prevalent in our fields, and so quick to regrow, that it’s a very reliable nectar source for the crew. This summer though, there is a visible dearth of anything flowering, and even the clover is dried to a crisp. Yesterday I watched the bees returning to the hive and compared to a few weeks ago, the foraging activity has slowed almost to a standstill. The bees need nectar from clover and other flowers to produce the honey which allows them to survive the winter. The amount they need completely depends on how cold and how long the winter is. Since they just moved in with us this spring, they probably got off to a slow start and now with this drought, I have concerns. So, we made the easy decision not to harvest any honey at all this year.
Honeybees don’t hibernate; they are awake and active inside their hive. They stay warm by gathering in a large cluster and enlisting the help of “heater bees” which maintain the hive temperature at 90 - 95 degrees (Fahrenheit) all winter long. The heater bees decouple their wings, climb face down into empty cells in the honeycomb and vibrate their wing muscles to create friction. That friction can raise their body temperature from 60 degrees to 111 degrees. The wax of the comb absorbs the heat and helps dissipate the warmth, keeping the rest of the hive warm. In order for the heater bees to continue their herculean efforts 24/7, they need to be fed honey every half hour, it’s the fuel that keeps them going. Worker bees collect honey from inside the hive and bring it to them, which means they only need to emerge from the cell briefly to eat.
So, this year we’ll leave them all their honey. We’ll add insulation to the hive and peek (because I can’t resist) and wait another year to harvest. It’s possible that if the bees don’t consume all their honey by spring, and we didn’t take any, there may not be enough empty cells in the honeycomb for the queen to start laying eggs. In that case, the colony might feel overcrowded and decide to swarm.
I sincerely hope they don’t but given a choice between the two options, I’d rather they stay warm and healthy and if they decide to swarm in the spring, so be it. At least we'll know we did our very best to give them the healthiest home we possibly could.