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  • From: Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>
  • To: Scott Sipe <cscotts AT gmail.com>, Orange County Beekeepers <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Bees Busy / Pollen
  • Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2016 16:56:45 -0500

Scott,

Not sure about the bright orange -- Geneva Green would know -- but the tan/beige/putty-colored pollen is most likely red maple. They normally begin blooming around now and they fuel the late winter bee brood build-up. There is a very rough pollen-color guide <here>. All beekeeping is local, so you may very well have things in flight-range that I don't.

While there are trees blooming now with pollen, there isn't much nectar production going on. Many trees, such as oaks, produce pollen but not nectar. So check your hives periodically by lifting from the back to see if they are still heavy with honey and FEED if they aren't. It is a shame to bring bees through the winter and have them starve right before the main spring flow starts. This is described in an article <here>.

It is very unusual for European Honey Bees to abscond. Far more likely is that populations crash from the varroa/virus complex. This can happen fairly quickly and the biggest, most robust hives are the ones to go first since they have the most mites.

It is interesting that people pay closer attention to the weather once they start keeping bees. The weather this year isn't particularly strange; we had a similar warm winter four or so years ago. Broodrearing never fully stopped for many hives, so varroa mites never stopped reproducing either. Likewise, small hive beetles had a field day that following spring and summer, with outrageously huge populations. So we all need to be extra vigilant this spring. Start early assessing mite levels with the sugar-shake test; treat with effective, approved miticides strictly according to the label; keep your bees in full sun (or as much sun as possible in your location); keep populations strong and appropriate for the space available to them. And as always, keep a sharp eye on food stores. If you do all that, your chances for success are pretty good.

Randall Austin

On 1/16/2016 4:01 PM, Scott Sipe wrote:
A1464F82-2315-42A3-B991-3FA9F15E924F AT gmail.com" type="cite">
My one remaining hive in a single 10-frame deep--my other have apparently absconded in the fall--has been quite busy over the last few weeks. Even right now, about 4pm and in the shade, there is quite the coming and going. I'm noticing some bright orange pollen being brought back (I believe the same pollen I've seen for a couple of months now), and also some paler tan / beige-ish stuff that I don't recall seeing before. Anybody know what that might be?

This is my first winter with bees, and while it's certainly been abnormal temperature-wise, I've been really surprised to see how much activity has been going on, and how much pollen (and presumably nectar?) the bees are bringing back now.

Scott
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