On day 2 of Snowmageddon, I wanted to see how the bees were coping with the situation, so I put on boots and headed out to the back yard. Snow had completely blocked the entrances to the hives, so I brushed it away. Bees need a way in and out of the hive for cleansing flights in the wintertime (believe it or not, bees can get dysentery if they are hive-bound too long).
I gently lifted a corner of each hive's cover and heard the girls humming. I could see them buzzing through the oval-shaped hole in the inner cover, and they appear to be eating the pollen patties I inserted in late November. The following afternoon, I made another short visit and noticed some "bee debris" on the snow in front of the hives so I know the girls are flying out for a little fresh air.
Although they appear quite delicate, honeybees are amazingly tenacious little creatures.
