Snow bees

Sunday night, the snows came to Roswell...and then the ice. Fortunately, our electricity stayed intact, but the Atlanta roadways have been an icy mess for four days. The media have dubbed it "Snowmageddon."


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.