The Snowiest Winter Ever

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Really. It was the snowiest winter on record here in central Minnesota. 

I often make references as to how long winter feels here, but this year was historical. We did a lot of shoveling and snowball throwing. We also did a lot of staying in, watching movies, and drinking cocoa. As always, we checked on the hives, too.


We went into the winter with two hives. We had very, very high varroa mite counts in the fall and did some aggressive treatments in hopes to help the colonies be strong enough for what would be an extra-long winter.

(Insert quiet winter waiting here.)


I am pleased to say that warmer temperatures did return and one of our hives has wintered! In the fall, we treated these bees, separated the brood frames, and re-treated when the brood hatched. Then, we combined them all back together. Success! 

These girls were out finding pollen even before all of the snow had melted.


This colony has a wonderful temperament and everything looks right on track inside the hive. We hope to split it in a few weeks, turning one hive into two.


I have just one more note for now: I was thrilled to find some deep purple pollen in the comb during our last inspection. Pollen comes in all sorts of colors, but seeing them up close and all together is awe-inspiring.


Here is a close-up of a worker bee who has returned with her deep-colored "pollen pants" on. Lovely!


Here's to small victories, simple updates, the possibility of spring, and sunshine!

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