[Skinny bee man]

Finally.........did some pruning around the hives today. About 1:30 one of my three hives was just rockin'. Lots of bees coming and going. I watched carefully and one out of five or six heads carrying a bit of yellow pollen. Just a bit but enough to keep everyone happy. First winter and my three hives survived. Good luck everyone this spring. Spent the rest of the afternoon home priming and painting supers.

 

[Cloverdale]

Happy to hear they made it through the winter, mine did to :thumbsup: It was brutal, very cold and windy here in the Catskills...

 

[McBee7]

Glad to hear you have a spring S.B.M.....
Still waiting here. This past week we have pussywillow, tag elder, and the first dandilion flowers, but no pollen yet, but I think this week we will have temps in the 60s plus, and the pollon will let loose, It's been a long winter and I cant wait to see it disapere . near 60 today and the ladies were out flying, looking and looking, I changed out my syrup feeders today as the buckets I was using were leaking, also added styro arround the feeder in the upper box..I know it probbably wont matter in a couple of weeks but for the price of the styro I thought it would help in the long run..... I have partnered with a 84 year young beek this year and I'm seeing that it's the little things that you can do for the bees that makes their life easier that makes a
huge differance in the long run.....time will tell

==McBee7==

 

[Cloverdale]

.. I have partnered with a 84 year young beek this year and I'm seeing that it's the little things that you can do for the bees that makes their life easier that makes a
huge differance in the long run.....time will tell

==McBee7==

Agree! As in life, it is the little things that matter....

 

[Juhani Lunden]

Finally.........did some pruning around the hives today. About 1:30 one of my three hives was just rockin'. Lots of bees coming and going. I watched carefully and one out of five or six heads carrying a bit of yellow pollen. Just a bit but enough to keep everyone happy. First winter and my three hives survived. Good luck everyone this spring. Spent the rest of the afternoon home priming and painting supers.

Today started to come loads of pollen from willow in Central Finland. First willow in bloom on the 16th. The earliest date I have ever seen (37 years beekeeping).

 

[Gord]

Mine have been bringing in pollen for the last week.
We're in town.

 

[McBee7]

Yes! Today the pollen is flowing in....Bees are coming into the hive loaded with tons of yellow orange pollen..I brought some sprigs of tag alder into the house last night and this morning my wife asked if she could throw it away as it was leaving orange and yellow stuff all over the counter....An old timer told me that we were having a old fasioned winter this year and that we would have a old fashioned spring...I hope this contenues....

==McBee7==

 

[Wisc_beek]

I was observing my hive today here in south-central Wisconsin and noticed every fifth bee with pollen was loaded with a blue/purple color. Crocus? Hyacinth?

 

[jmgi]

The dark blue pollen this time of year is Siberian Squill.

 

[MGCBester]

Did your queen start laying without pollen coming in

 

[McBee7]

MGCB--My queens had limited laying in the last 2 weeks, and i had a small piece of pollen patty on top of the frames......They were laying so I could see they had a queen but nothing remarkable--I'll be anxious to see at the end of this week (with natural pollen comming in and higher temps) if the laying picks up....I feel like a kid again with spring fever---lol--

==McBee7==

 

[Skinny bee man]

MGCB--My queens had limited laying in the last 2 weeks, and i had a small piece of pollen patty on top of the frames......They were laying so I could see they had a queen but nothing remarkable--I'll be anxious to see at the end of this week (with natural pollen comming in and higher temps) if the laying picks up....I feel like a kid again with spring fever---lol--

==McBee7==

Yes, don't we all love summer. I put pollen patties on about a month ago. (one hive I added earlier) Anyhow, I've yet to have a warm enough day when I haven't been working to do a full inspection. Hopefully by the weekend I will have a chance.
The hives are really active so I'm sure that is a good sign.