I was cutting roses this morning, and noticed our bees were out and about, especially on the roses. We've had strange weather this fall and winter, but the bees aren't upset. We haven't put any food (sugar water) out for them because we still have enough flowers to support them, and the grasses haven't all gone dormant. Our winter bees seem to be doing well on their own.
That's great news Jane!! There's nothing much here for bees at this time of year. I'm so glad that yours are finding winter isn't too bad at the moment - long may it last.
That's really good news! Does this mean that you will get more honey this year or are they gathering enough to just hold the honey steady?
About the amount of honey--we have no idea! If the winter is mild, and the bees can gather pollen (to feed the babies) and nectar (to make honey) we may have a small spring harvest. In a good year, which this has not been due to all the rain, we have two harvests. We get spring honey, and then again in the fall, we harvest honey in November. We didn't harvest any this November because we wanted the bees to have enough honey to take them through the winter. Beekeeping is more of a gamble than you'll find at any table in Las Vegas.
