Something in the Air

Wild Plum in Bloom

Combo Platter of Willow and Maple Pollen

The calendar says its beginning of April  but nature here in Minnesota  is showing us it is more like the end of the month. The sudden warm spell a few weeks ago set into motion a chain of events that is hard to slow down now. The bees have been taking advantage of this warmer than usual spring to build up their winter survival colonies rapidly. Beekeepers are grinning with joy and are probably in a minority when they hear the daily weather reports talk of a high pollen count for that day. A high pollen count means sustainable  life for the bee colony and that there is ample foraging food for the bees to collect and bring back to the colony. Fresh pollen from  the plants and trees set into motion the regeneration of the natural life cycle of the hive. If there is food outside, their will be new brood being raised inside by the queen with support from her workers. This part of Minnesota has about sixteen weeks of natural production of flora. For hives to survive , they must build up in colony strength and be ready to make the most of that window of opportunity to gather enough resources to survive another cold harsh winter.

 In the meantime, apologies to all those people suffering from  spring time allergies  but we beekeepers have not been getting a lot of good news lately in the press, with colonies dying off and such. Try not to deny us a few moments of glee when we hear pollen alerts are being issued for a particular spring day. To us that is life springing forward.