This is not something I understand, and certainly my bees do not understand it, either. Mother Nature is nuts this year! It is April 18 and we are getting snow for the umpteenth time! Go away, winter! My bees are ready to play!

Last year at this time, my happy bees were getting ready to swarm (a good thing if you are a bee, a bad thing if you are a beekeeper). Last week, I put my first bucket of sugar water on the hives and I bet it is thick and not too yummy right now.

Last week I also took off my bee quilt, the black plastic insulated cover that keeps the colony a bit warmer in Iowa winters, but who expected Old Man Winter to stick around this long!?

To add insult to injury, the same day last week that tornadic winds whipped through our county, the top blew off one of our hives. We did not notice, having also lost a big tree that was blocking our driveway. We discovered the mishap about two days – and two 22-degree nights – later. Luckily,  there were a few hardy bees still on the hive. Let’s hope we did not lose too many of my gals.

Still, in all this unseasonable weather, My bees fly whenever they can, and it is my hope they get lots more flying weather soon!