The "rush" before the storm

My bees work feverishly before approaching thunderstorms.  Rushing to get that last bit of nectar or pollen before the rain.

Too much pollen in air !

Living down in a little valley, I love seeing the bees flying during the late afternoon (backlit by the sun). Today there is so much pollen floating in the air it is competing with my bees for attention !

Honeybees & blueberries

Freezing temps here this morning but the bees are working my blueberry bushes this afternoon.

dry pollen

Honeybees need pollen to raise baby bees. This process starts inside the warm cluster months before Spring. Pollen was gathered during the fall and stored for this purpose. If weather conditions do not allow good fall pollen foraging, the bees can be in a pollen deficit. I filled my pollen bucket about 10 days ago - today it was empty !

I filled the pollen bucket and about 20 minutes later..... a crowd had gathered. This pollen will be used to raise young bees that will be responsible for gathering nectar to make honey for them, me and maybe you.

Fall rush

Busy flight afternoons like this one will soon end as frost will kill most of the nectar producing plants. The bees seem to know this and rush to harvest.

Honeybee Education

One of the most interesting things about being a beekeeper is sharing the love of bees with others.  In spite of recent media attention given to bees, many people still know very little about the importance of honeybees.  You can make a sign like this for yourself and help promote the bee !