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A blog following the beekeepers at the University of Washington.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Cold, Rainy Weather Suppresses Activities

Waiting for those May flowers...

Rainy and cold today. The new hives were mostly not foraging, the older, established hive was sending out workers, however. No pollen coming back, not surprising considering the flower-scouring rain. The bees in the observation hive were cold and clustered toward the bottom, having abandoned a frame of mature brood above. They have no honey, will soon have to feed or take apart to insert a frame of honey. These conditions represent a dangerous crunch time for the bees, who's populations are maxing now even as nectar availability declines. This will definitely slow down the swarm season.

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