T
oughest-cluster-ever.
I checked on the last colony I had – the only one that survived over the harsh weather. They were so small, I almost missed them. Clustered between the wall and a piece of comb, I saw them. Dead. I can’t say I was surprised. So, thinking that this time I was going to be smart, and send a few to Beltsville, I carefully carried the feeding box into the garage so I could find a test tube, and peel off a few. As I walked across my lawn, I saw a few wings fluttering, and marveled at how their tiny translucent sheets caught the wind even in death.
After I grabbed the test tube and flat head screw driver, I bent down to push a few in – and they pushed back! Suddenly a few came to life, clearly agitated that I had disturbed their mini-cluster. While none flew, they crawled all over, flapping their wings as if trying to shout “Not Dead Yet!”.
Stunned, I quickly put them back in their hive, placed some sugar near them, and hoped for the best. It’s still in the 40-50s on the Cape on May 2nd, but but the temperatures are rising, and there early flowers popping up.
Could they actually have survived, and will they built up a healthy colony though the late spring? I’m hoping for the best for these little fighters, but they have a hard road ahead of them.