It seems like spring has been taking its good ole time coming this year, but leave it to the bees to find signs of spring before anyone else. The one hive we have left has been collecting pollen from trees for weeks now, and this week I found my ladies thoroughly enjoying themselves amidst the spring wild flowers that have started to bloom in our woods.

And I mean thoroughly enjoying themselves! I watched my bees for a few minutes. They were all over the bloodroot and Scilla. A closer look and I found one gal literally crawling inside an unopened bloom. She would disappear for a few seconds, then climb out and start all over again.

When bees forage (the most difficult and dangerous task for worker bees), they will visit 50-100 flowers on each trip. A single bee might make 20 trips a day, flying 2 to 5 miles to find nectar needed to make honey. She can carry half her weight in pollen, no small task when you’re making that many flights.

In addition to nectar and pollen, honey bees collect a plant resin called propolis. They use this to make bee glue (more about that next time, the bane of beekeepers everywhere!) to seal holes in the hive.

Here’s another amazing thing: to make one pound of honey, honey bees need to fly 50,000 miles and visit 2-3 million flowers.

I’ll leave you with that amazing fact.