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Hanging In There

Posted by on April 13, 2015

I checked the only colony that made it though the winter, and they’re still alive – barely alive. They’d all clustered against the inner cover, clearly desperately trying to keep warm. I found this out by lifting the inner cover up only an inch to peek under it, and didn’t dare take a picture as the colony was only about the size of a lemon.

Fearing the worst, but hoping for the best, I gave them an extra super full of frames on the bottom to prevent any future swarming (I doubt such a weak colony would attempt a swarm), and gave them a mason jar of 2:1 syrup. They had already eaten all the sugar I had left for them, leaving the protein in place.

Later in the day I did see a few foragers returning to the hive. Most looked like they were empty handed, but I was encouraged by seeing one loaded with white pollen.

With the weather predicted to only drop into the 40s(F) at night and 60s(F) in the daytime, I’m hoping the worst of this record-breaking winter is over, and this colony will blossom again.

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