Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: phill on March 10, 2013, 10:43:03 am
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We had typically crazy New England weather this week: Heavy snow and high winds on Thursday and Friday, followed by a bright sunny day on Saturday with temps reaching 50. My bees were busy making cleansing flights. I saw a lot of dead bees in the snow-- about the number I'd expect, after they'd been cooped up for a few days-- and droppings everywhere. Then I saw something new: a bee walking around on top of the snow! Not just a few steps; she was walking around for a while. Curious, I picked her up. After a few seconds she flew away. I wonder if she was freezing, couldn't fly, and I provided just enough warmth to kick-start her engine again.
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I saw the exact same thing yesterday and was coming on to make a similar post! We still have at least 2 feet of snow but yesterday was beautiful 5C (40F?) and sunny so it felt warmer. In any case, we were outside making maple syrup and I found a bee walking around on the snow! I picked her up put her on the railing of the deck and eventually she flew away. I'm not sure where she came from, I didn't go into winter with any bees (thanks to a bear).