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And The Bees Wait

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It's winter and the bees are quiet. It is a philosophical almost humbling feeling, to look out of my kitchen window and see my hives sitting there. Recently, throughout this winter they have had blankets of snow covering the hives, sometimes ice and even an icicle or two has had the indignity to hang down off of the roof of the bees home. It would seem that it is a dead city. All of the citizens must have left and gone to a more temperate climate. But it isn't so. Inside the population still goes on, waiting for the first day that the temperature gets to at least 55 degrees around the hive. Then, just briefly, the activity will be great and just as suddenly as all of the bees became active, they will return and hide in their winter home.

Bees are interesting little creatures. They spawn fear in many as they are flying about doing their work. I have often seen people swatting at the little workers. They work hard, harder than any of us in the spring, summer and fall. I guess winter is a deserved vacation of sorts, but I know from experience they are very busy trying to survive the cold.

Bees are cold blooded insects. They depend on the climate to regulate their temperature. So during this winter, which is below freezing right now, they are inside their hive clustered securely around their queen to do all they can to insure her survival. Their body warmth, issued from one bee to the next, in a circle about the queen, will hopefully keep her warm enough to live through the cold.

I watch the hives a lot. I wonder about their lives in this winter as I have wondered many winters before. Sometimes most of them make it just fine. Spring arrives and a few hundred will be dead, perhaps giving their lives to the hive warmth. Other winters, the bees and I have not fared so well - all of them have died losing the battle that Mother Nature sends each winter. I remind myself that this is natural. But having known a hive, being with it on its good days and its grumpy days, it is hard to lose them all.

I have insulated the hives as best I can. They are sheltered by a great tree that has lived since before the grandfathers of my grandparents. They have the benefit of the sun, when it does decide to return, to alert them. When it does and the ambient temperature is around 55, they will all pour out of the hive for a quick trip to relieve themselves. Clean little critters, aren't they? They will wait months for a trip outside as they will not relieve themselves within the hive. When the weather is warm enough, they will burst out of that hive and the snow around them will be covered with a thick dark golden layer of droppings. The first time I saw that I was shocked and decided they had some awful disease. But it's normal and now I wait anxiously and try to remember the last day they might have gone out. Its been awhile.

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